Young Volcanoes
by underneathasycamore
Summary: At one point in their lives, all of the Weasley and Potter children thought that having such well known parents was a great thing. However, as each child of this new generation grows up, they began to realize that there was also expectations, ones that they did not know if they would be able to or wanted to live up to. They are young volcanoes, waiting to erupt.
1. Introduction

**Young Volcanoes**

At one point in their lives, all of the Weasley and Potter children thought that having such well known parents was a great thing. That not being able to make a trip to Diagon Alley without stopping for a picture, a handshake, or an autograph was cool. Everyone in the wizarding world knew of the great things that their parents had done and been a part of, and as their children there was a certain amount of respect bestowed upon them. However, as each child of this new generation grew up, they began to realize that there was also expectation, one that they did not know if they would be able to or wanted to live up to. They are young volcanoes, waiting to erupt.

* * *

This story will work in conjunction with a previous story of mine called Letters For Rose. It's really necessary to read that one before this one, as I will be incorporating the majority of the letters into the story itself. But you are welcome to read that first as well :)

The story will include all of the next generation children who will have their own story lines, but it will focus on Rose's life. I have put the rating higher, because the story will be going with the characters as they matures, and so more adult themes will be coming up later on.

Enjoy! And please tell me what you think!


	2. Year One

**Year One**

**Autumn**

There is a difference between having friends and having a family. Growing up, those lines were always blurred for Rose. She had grown up with so many cousins that they were her some of her best friends. Now that she is going off to Hogwarts, off to a world that is bigger than the Potter and Weasley clan, she is nervous. Family always has to love you and put up with you, but people who are not blood don't owe you anything. She is worried that she will never make a friend who isn't related to her or a child of a friend of her parents.

"Rose? Rose! Come on, stop day dreaming, we're going to be late!"

Rose had been lost in her thoughts again, something that she often did, and found herself having to run to catch up with her father and younger brother. After watching so many of her older cousins start their education at Hogwarts and hearing their stories during the break, Rose was both excited and nervous that it was finally time for her to stat her first year. After stepping through the barrier and onto the Hogwarts Express platform, Rose and her family were surrounded by a number of other mothers and fathers saying goodbye to their children.

At the sight of a women kneeling down to do up her daughters jumper, Rose's heart gave a pain clench in her chest. It had been six years since she her mother had died. Six years since she had been held in her mother's arms, tucked in by her, or read to by her. Rose didn't know how she could miss someone that she could barely remember, so terribly. Her other aunts and her both of her grandmothers had done their best to make up for not having a mother figure, but in the end it was only a shadow of the real thing.

Just as Rose turned away from the mother and child, she saw her Aunt Ginny, Uncle Harry, and her cousin's step through the barrier. Albus would be starting his first year at Hogwarts alongside her. She was thankful that she would know someone in her year that she could trust. Although Rose was closest with her younger cousin Lily, she and Albus got along quite well.

"Hey, Albus. Excited that it's finally our turn?"

Albus rolled his green eyes at her, "Sure, let's go with that." Taking a quick peak to see that his parents were occupied talking to Uncle Ron, he leaned in and whispered to his cousin, "If I get put into Slytherin, promise you'll still talk to me?"

While they had all been told on many occasions from their parent's that every house at Hogwarts was a good house, there was still pressure to continue on the tradition of being sorted into Gryffindor like their predecessor's. When Teddy and Victorie were sorted into Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw respectively, they were still congratulated. And while no one would admit it out loud, when Dominique was sorted into Slytherin, there was a little more hesitation in congratulating her. A member of the Weasley family being sorted into the Slytherin house was simply unheard of.

"I would worry about being disowned by Grandpa Weasley if I got put into Slytherin! Not sure they could take another member of the family being in that house!" James was the oldest child of Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, and he never let Albus forget it.

Rose smiled and nudged Albus' shoulder with her own. He had been worrying about what house he was going to get sorted into all summer and his older brother James' teasing hadn't helped. "Of course I will, you goof."

After a few minutes of discussing what their first year at Hogwarts was going to be like, Rose's dad pulled her aside to say goodbye. "Alright, Rosie. Now, there's nothing to be scared of. Hogwarts is great, and you'll have all your cousins to go to if you get lost. Don't trust a word that Peeves says. And even if you think McGonagall can't see you, trust me, she can. Oh, an-"

Something or someone had pulled her Dads attention away from her. Turning around, she found who her father was starting at. A few feet down the platform stood a man around her father's age and what looked like his son. Both had striking white blond hair. A sense of familiarity stirred in her mind, but when she thought about it she had no idea who they were.

"And make sure you beat that kid in every single test. Thank Godric that you inherited your mother's brains." He said as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Alright, off you go! Be sure to write Grandpa when you get into Gryffindor! He'll be so proud!"

She is about to ask her dad who those people are when the whistle from the train goes off. She says a hasty farewell to her brother Hugo and tells him to stay out of her room while she is gone and hugs her dad and clamors onto the train. Her and her cousins take up two entire compartments on the train; there are going to be eight of them attending Hogwarts now. She and Albus share a compartment with Fred and James, the two up and coming pranksters. While they currently keep most of their pranking in the family, Albus has told her that it is only a matter of time before they start pranking the whole school. Rose imagines that part of them want to live up to the legacy of Uncle Fred and Uncle George.

They spent the train ride splitting treats from the trolley, jumping after their chocolate frogs and laughing every time they got a card with a relatives face on it. By now the novelty of seeing a Weasley or Potter on a Chocolate Frog collector card had worn off. Instead they would spend their time pelting the cards at one another. When Rose unwrapped her chocolate frog, she saw a young face of her mother staring up at her. Quickly and quietly, she shoved the card into her pocket. She could never bare to throw out her mother's cards, no matter how many of them she had.

When they arrive at Hogwarts, they are greeted by Hagrid. All of them had of course met the giant on multiple occasions, and thus were able to enjoy the look of shock on the other new students' faces when he towered over them.

"Hi Hagrid!"

"Albus! Rose! Nice to see ye'. Off you go, onto the boats, don't want to be late!"

The two waved goodbye to their large friend and joined the small group of students that were being lead to the black lake. They were put into groups of four or five before being loaded into a small row boat. There were no ores, and once everyone was seated, the boat began to glide through the water towards the castle on its own. Rose and Albus grinned at each other as they nears the castle. There were butterfly's fluttering around in both of their stomachs.

After arriving on the shore and climbing up the path to the castle, the first years were ushered through the gates of the castle and lead to wait in the foyer to The Great Hall. They were met by Professor Longbottom, who Rose and Albus were used to affectionately calling Uncle Neville. They waved up at him from the group causing him to grin and wave back. Neville Longbottom had returned to Hogwarts as a professor of Herbology after Madame Sprout retired and was one of the most liked teachers at the school.

"Alright! Quiet now… Listen up everyone! Thank you. Firstly, welcome to your home for the next seven years. In a few moments you will follow me into the great hall where you will be sorted into your houses. While you're hear those houses will be like your family. Hogwarts has four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Once the Sorting Hat has decided where to put you, you will join your house table for the feast. Any questions? No? Alright, follow me."

Rose made an effort to keep close to her cousin as they got into rows of two to enter the hall. Albus was becoming more and more nervous with every step that they took closer to The Great Hall. He looked over to his cousin to see that she looked just as nervous as he felt.

"Dad said that the hat takes what you want into account. Maybe we can just both ask to be in Gryffindor?"

Rose smiled back hesitantly, "Maybe."

Neville made his way to the front of the group of first years that had formed in front of the professors table, with a role of parchment in his hand. He came to a stop beside a three-legged wooden stood that held what appeared to be an old and battered wizards hat.

"When I call your name, please step forward and sit on the stool. Abigail Woods!"

Rose and Albus watched with curiosity as the hat was placed on the blonde girls head. Once it rested on her curls it appeared to come alive; humming to itself as though it were in thought. It was only a few moments before the hat shouted out.

"Hufflepuff!"

The table with a yellow table cloth runner cheered as the girl hopped off of the school and nearly ran over to her house table. The rest of the sorting continued on much the same. Sometimes the decision was instantaneous, and other times it took the hat some time to make a decision. Rose began to worry her bottom lip between her teeth, all she wanted to do was get into Gryffindor. She couldn't bear to think of the look of disappointment on her fathers face if she was sorted into any other house.

"Scorpius Malfoy!"

The blonde boy from the platform stepped forward and sat on the stool. He was a Malfoy, it was no wonder now why he dad wanted her to be better than him in school. He dad has told her all about the horrible person that his father had been while they were in school together. Rose was sure that he would be put into Slytherin just as his father had.

"_Hmmm… A Malfoy, eh? Putting you in Slytherin seems like the logical thing to do. All of your family before you have been Slytherins…You're resourceful clever, and ambitious, there is no doubt of that. But there is more to you than people expect. I can see here in your mind that you are rather brave and daring, and loyal too! Hmm… Where to put you… You could do great things, Mr. Malfoy. Better make it…"_

Although Scorpius knew that his dad would be pleased with any house, the young wizard still would like to be a part of the same house that his father had been. To show people that Malfoy's were not the bad people that everyone was so quick to think that they were.

"Gryffindor!"

Rose would rather not admit how far her jaw fell open when the hat sorted Scorpius Malfoy into Gryffindor. She didn't have much time to contemplate this turn of events because Albus was called up next. She crossed her fingers inside the sleeves of her robes that they would both make it into Gryffindor.

"_A Potter, eh? Your father was a hard one to place as well. You have so much of him running through your veins. It seems that you've been trying to follow in his footsteps… Well, I will tell you the same thing that I told your father. You would be great in Slytherin."_

Albus screwed his eyes shot and pleaded with the hat. '_Please, I'll do anything. Just don't put me in Slytherin. Put me in Gryffindor. Please…. Please…"_

_"Don't want Slytherin? All of you Weasleys and Potters spend too much time worrying about what others will think of you if you deviate from the path that your parents took. I've made my decision."_

_"_Slytherin!"

Albus could feel the blood drain from his face. Slytherin. He had been sorted into Slytherin. The absolute worst house that he could be sorted into. Uncle Neville gave him a quick pat on the back to jog him into reality. The Slytherin house, including his cousin Dominique¸ was cheering him on. He stumbled into the seat that his cousin had made once his name had been called. He was grateful for the kindness, but at this point he simply wanted to crawl into a dark corner and never come back out. He didn't date look over at his brother.

"Rose Weasley!"

Rose took a deep breath and climbed on to the stool. When the hat was placed on her she could feel it prodding her mind and hear its voice in her ears.

"_Yet another Weasley I see. Ah, but I see you mother in you too, Miss. Granger it was. I see much of her in you, her intelligence, her thirst for knowledge, and her loyalty. Plenty of Loyalty to your family I see. I think I know just where to put you…"_

_"_Gryffindor!"

Rose nearly fainted from relief when the hat shouted out where she would be placed. She couldn't help but grin as she ran over to a cheering Gryffindor table. Her cousins made sure to come over and ruffle her hair in congratulations. However, when she caught Albus' eye, he smile dropped from her face. How could she be so heartless? Poor Albus must be devastated at being placed in Slytherin. She tried to give him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and wave. He waved back, but could not muster a smile of his own.

It was only after the food had appeared on the tables that Rose noticed that she was sitting across from Scorpius Malfoy himself. She spent the entire dinner promptly ignoring him and avoiding contact. She had managed to get into Gryffindor, she wasn't about to disappoint her dad now by making friends with his school bully's offspring.

Rose has joined her cousin Louis for breakfast. Louis was in his third year and a part of the Ravenclaw house, along with their cousin Molly. He had inherited a mixture of Fleur and Bill's hair, leaving him with a dirty blonde mop of hair. He had inherited Bills patience and quieter demeanour and Fleur's vela looks, making him an easy target for her fellow classmates to gawk over.

She was happy that her cousins were being so nice to her during her first few days at school. It's her third day and she hadn't yet made any close relationships with anyone in her house. Rose is buttering her toast and listening to Louis tell her which teachers to watch out for when an owl drops a letter onto her plate. She's not overly surprised, and expects that it's from her dad. When she glances down as the writing on the envelope she knows instantly that she is wrong. He dad had the scrawled handwriting of a six year old, and the writing on this was neatly curved.

Without a second thought, Rose shoot up from her seat on the bench, grabbed the letter and tore out of the Great Hall, calling a quick goodbye over her shoulder. Once she had found an abandoned corridor, Rose sat down against the stone wall and carefully opened the envelope, letting its contents fall out onto her lap. The first two words takes the breath right out of her chest.

_Dear Rose,_

_Here you are Rose, ready to start your education at Hogwarts. I wish more than anything that I could have been there to see you off on the train on your first day of school. I wish that I could have been there to help you pick up your books, to see if you were more favourable to owls or cats. I wish I could have seen that grin in your eyes when you finally got your very own wand. I know that you must be full of jitters, excitement, and nerves. I know that because I was full of all of those feelings. Just know that you will be okay, and soon enough you will feel like you never want to leave._

_You are on your way to the most magical place in the whole world. Though I imagine that my awe and wonder upon my first year at Hogwarts was much larger than yours. But there is still something so special about that place, and I hope you find it. I hope that it is a safe and happy place away from home like it was for me. I hope magic still thrills you and causes the feeling of butterflies to rise up in your stomach. When I was your age, magic was something that I had read in storybooks. I thought that it was just another word for when someone was able to trick you. But Hogwarts was a wonderful place, somewhere that I finally felt at peace._

_Before I found out that I was a witch, I didn't understand why strange things would happen to me. People who don't know that magic exists, or who have never seen it before, are often scared by it. I was treated like an outcast by my peers, and I felt like there was something truly wrong with me. Coming to Hogwarts and being told that I was special instead of different gave me my confidence back. I did everything that I could to learn as much as I possibly could, and to be the best at what I learned. I wanted to prove to myself and to everyone else that I belonged there._

_Don't be discouraged if you don't make friends at first. It was almost three months into school and almost being trampled by a troll before Uncle Harry, your dad, and I became friends. Even after that, we still had our fights like all friends do. Those fights were hard to go through. I was a determined child who loved a challenge. Naturally, that meant that I excelled in school; something that my peers found infuriating. I had never had any true friends before I came to Hogwarts, only other students who wanted to buddy up with me on projects in order to get a good mark. So when I was accepted as a friend of your Dad's and Harry's, I hung on and did everything that I possibly could to help them and keep them safe._

_The only thing that I can tell you is to remember to be yourself. If you remain yourself, you will attract other people who are similar to you, or who value the qualities that you portray. These are the type of people that you want in your life. Be kind to others, even if they are not kind to you. Never allow someone else's poor attitude force you into stooping down to their level. You are better than that; stronger than that. As you grow up, remember that your friends should be by your side during the rough times, just as you should be there for them. Your friends will also challenge you, but so will your enemies._

_When I met your Dad he was trying to turn his pet rat yellow for Uncle Harry. The spell had been given to him by one of his brothers and needless to say the rat stayed brown. Of course I was still trying to prove to everyone that I met that I belonged with them, and was quick to show them one of the spells that I had been working on. Looking back at the memory now, I'm sure that I came off a bit snobbish, but we still became best friends later on, and (as you know) have remained friends ever since. I met someone else on that train that day as well. His name was Draco Malfoy. He had seen me perform a spell to fix your uncle's glasses through the compartment window and was rather impressed. He came out and introduced himself after I left your Dad's compartment. He was quite curious about what other spells I could perform. We ended up discussing what houses we wanted to belong to and what ones we didn't. He told me that he wanted Slytherin hands down, because that was the house that both of his parent's belonged to. At the time I hadn't heard much about the houses other than what I had read in Hogwarts: A History. We both agreed that Ravenclaw would be a good second choice._

_Once we went our separate ways and climbed into the boats I began to get nervous about the upcoming school year. I had hoped that I would be in the same house as those that I met on the train, and would be able to make friends with them. When I saw that Draco was sorted into Slytherin I was happy that he got the house that he wanted. Suddenly, it was my turn to be sorted. I was torn. I knew that Draco had been sorted into Slytherin, but I also knew that your dad and likely Harry would never want to be sorted into that house. At this point I just wanted to be with someone that I knew. Once the old hat was placed on my head I could feel it move around in my mind. Remember, the hat can see what you are worried about, what you want, and also what you are capable of. The hat told me that I would excel in any of the houses, which really didn't make my decision any easier._

_Finally, I was sorted in the Gryffindor house, alongside with your Dad and Uncle Harry. I was happy that we were put together, but I still hoped that I could make friends with those who weren't put into the Gryffindor house. Unfortunately, this proved to be difficult. I wasn't aware of the apparent Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry that was quite strong throughout the school. As the school year went on I became friends with your Dad and Harry, and any chance that I had at becoming friends with Draco grew smaller and smaller. Being so young and wanting to fit in, we allowed the house rivalry to draw us apart. But it was the brewing rivalry between Draco and your dad and Uncle that kept us that way._

_It was few years later that Harry told me how Draco had tried to befriend him in Madame Malkins robe shop in our first year. But when Harry saw how alike he was to his spoiled cousin Dudley, he thought otherwise. I suspect that Draco expected Harry to accept his friendship; at that time he was used to getting the things that he wanted. Unfortunately for him, Harry was not impressed with Draco's attitude or disregard for others. After being dismissed, Draco seemed to go out of his way to annoy and get a rise out of Harry, and in turn, Ron. The boys were dedicated to the idea that Draco was a rotten boy who was doing everything to make their lives miserable. I on the other hand believe that he was a little hurt at Harry's dismissal, and was acting out._

_Your dad, Uncle Harry and I were not best friends right from the beginning. I spent the first two months of school alone being made fun of by my peers. I always took my education very seriously, and strived to do the very best that I couldn't in every class. This wasn't usually looked upon as a quality that people wanted to associate with. You dad was one of those people that made fun of me. I remember trying to help him in charms one day only to find him making fun of me after class. I spent the rest of the night crying in the girl's lavatory. That was the same night that Troll was let into the castle and had cornered me in the bathroom. It was your dad and Uncle Harry that came and saved me, and we've been best friends ever since._

_I would imagine that over the years you have heard stories about me from your father, but I don't want you to have the wrong idea of me. People said that I'm the 'brightest witch of my age', that I was part of the 'golden trio'. But none of those titles say anything about me, they don't tell you who I am. They don't tell you that I cried the first time that I held you and Hugo in my arms. That I kept every picture that you and your brother ever drew for me in an album. Being known as the brains of the golden trio doesn't leave any room for people to think that I was often scared. Terrified that we would get hurt, that I wouldn't be able to find all the answers that we needed, that we wouldn't ever see the other side of the war._

_I can't tell you everything now because you are so young and I don't want to take anything away from your childhood. There were many times when I felt that I had to grow up too fast, too soon. And as much as I don't regret the things that I did, I feel as though I missed out one some of the experiences of just being a child. I don't ever want to take that away from you. _

_I hope that you want to learn about every corner of the world; that you are fascinated by stars and want to learn about the constellations. I hope you love the sea as much as your father does. Remember that it is okay to question things. Grab every bit of knowledge between your hands and hold on to them as tightly as you can. Remember that you are important, and that you are part of a big wide world of other people who are important too. Above all else, do the things that make you happy. _

_Even if you don't hear it from others for a period of time, know this: you are beautiful, you are smart, and you are important. Always, always, always. _

_Love always, _

_Mom_

Rose is not able to hold back the tears that reading a letter from her mother brings to her eyes. She is holding a piece of her mother in her hands, and doesn't remember another time in her entire life when she felt as close to her as she did on this cold floor with her mother's written words still fresh in her mind. She can hear the sound of bustling students enter the halls as they venture onto their first morning class. Hastily wiping her face, Rose gently places the letter between the pages of a textbook to keep it safe.

Since the war, Hogwarts had implemented a few different methods of teaching in order to promote inter-house unity. This meant that when there was group and partner work, students were required to work with students from another house. Rose hoped that this meant she would be paired with Albus during the Gryffindors shaped Potions period with Slytherins. Unfortunately, that is not how things planned out. Albus had been paired to Scorpius while Rose was paired up with a boy named Matthew Wood.

Scorpius stuck out his hand, "Scorpius Malfoy."

"Albus Potter." He replied as he shook the boy's hand.

Scorpius looked slightly uncomfortable, "I uh… Think our fathers knew each other."

Albus scoffed but did so with a lopsided smile, "Yeah, you could say that. But it looks like the tables have turned. Now I'm the big bad Slytherin and you're the mighty Gryffindor."

"So I take it you're not too pleased with where The Sorting Hat put you either?"

"I should have been in Gryffindor. And to top it off, my idiot brother and cousin decided to dye my hair green for the week."

Scorpius nodded in understanding, "And here I just thought you had house spirit! I was hoping for Slytherin myself. But I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end. My dad told me that it doesn't matter where I get put, as long as I do the best that I can."

"Yeah, that's what my dad said too… Do you think that they'd notice if we switched?"

Scorpius took a look around the room. "A Potter for a Malfoy? Nah, they wouldn't notice one bit."

The two boys were only able to keep in their laughter for a moment, but were quickly hushed by their potions master.

Rose was sure to grab a hold of Albus' arm on their way out of potions class. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Uh, going to lunch?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Don't be daft. I'm talking about you being all chummy with Scorpius Malfoy!"

"What? He seems like an alright bloke."

"Do you have any idea who his father is? What do you think you dad is going to say when he finds out that you've made friends with him?"

Albus yanked his arm out of his cousin's grip, "Unlike your dad, mine puts less weight in the name and more in who the person actually is."

"Yeah well… Nice hair!" Rose yelled at his retreating form.

Albus turned on his heel and continued on his way toward the Great Hall. They had already been at Hogwarts for two weeks and it looked like Albus was well on his way to making his first friend, while Rose may be on her way to losing one. Rose took in a slow breath and tried to remember what her mother had said in her letter. Making friends hadn't come easily to her mother either, and it was nearly three months before her dad and Uncle Harry had befriended her mother. She just had to be patient; someone would come along eventually.

Rose spent a lot of time in the library. She took her father's words to heart and had been working hard to stay at the top of her class. Many of her teachers had made remarks of how she was so much like her mother in that aspect, always striving to be the best. She was secretly please every time this happened; it was easy to see that she belonged to the Weasley family, but she wanted to know that she had some of her mother in her too.

During some of Rose's studying sessions in the library, she would find herself zoning out into her own thoughts. She would look around the room and try to figure out where her mother's favourite spot would have been. Perhaps it was the table by the window, so that she could still enjoy the sunlight and watch her father and uncle play Quidditch. Or maybe she preferred the secluded table at the back of the library, hidden behind numerous bookshelves, so that she could work in peace. Maybe it was in one of the large and comfy chairs near the front desk. Or maybe her mother didn't have a favorite place at all, and simply sat down at the first free table she could find. It was small things like this that Rose was desperate to know.

"Rose! Over here!"

Hearing her name being called pulled her attention to the present, to see that Albus was waving her over to join him at his table. She ignored the hushing and threatening glare of Madame Prince and made her way over. It was only when she reached the table that she noticed who else her cousin was sharing the table with.

"Scorpius and I were going to work on that potion's essay, want to join us?"

Scorpius smiled at Rose and gave her a small wave. Although they had both been sorted into Gryffindor and had essentially the same class schedule, the two had barely spoken during the first month at school. He tried not to take it too personally.

Rose hugged her book bag closer to her chest and bit the side of her bottom lip. "Oh uh, no thanks Albus. I was just leaving."

And with that she turned on her heel to head to her dormitory and work on her potion's essay alone. She missed hanging around with her cousin, but the fact that he had made rather good friends with the very boy that he father told her to stay away from made things difficult.

Fred and James must have been talking with Uncle George. That was the only possible way that they would have been able to pull off the ticks that they were this Halloween. The two pranksters had somehow found a spell that would allow them to transfigure their faces into ghoulish monsters. The spell itself only lasted for about ten seconds, but that was enough time for the two to jump out from around corners, tables, curtains, and any other place to scare the students of Hogwarts. Rose herself had nearly fallen over from fright when Fred had jumped up from behind the chair she was sitting in in the Gyffindor common room with the face of an angry green dragon. She proceeded to chase her cousin around the common room for the next ten minutes with a heavy potions textbook in her hands.

Albus had gotten it far worse through. At the Halloween feast, bother James and Fred had snuck up behind them with their faces transfigured into horrid creatures and attacked Albus from either side. Albus had been so scared that he knocked over his pumpkin juice into his lap, making him look like he had wet himself. James and Fred had fallen onto the floor with laughter as Albus shot up from his seat, face red as a Weasley's hair, and ran out of the Great Hall to change.

James and Fred had been given two weeks detention and had 10 points taken away from Gryffindor. But they both still thought that it was well worth it and congratulated themselves with a slice of pumpkin pie.

**Winter**

When Rose and her family arrived at The Burrow for Christmas dinner, the first person that she looked for was Teddy. Teddy had been giving her piggy back since she could remember. He was most certainly one of Rose's most favourite people to talk to. He knew what it was like to only know a parent from stories and pictures. Sometimes, they would sit together under a willow tree in the backyard of The Burrow and make up stories about what they thought their parent's would be doing right now, if they were still alive. They often enjoyed those make believe ones, far better than the realities that they were currently in.

Teddy had grabbed her up in a great big hug and spun her around before ruffling her hair and wishing her a Happy Christmas.

Rose elbowed him lightly back as she ran her fingers through her now messed up hair, "Happy Christmas, Teddy. Hope you came up with a smashing Christmas gift for Victorie!" She made sure to add a few obnoxious kissy faces at the end.

Teddy blushed as the mention of his girlfriend, and stuck his tongue out at his younger cousin, making sure to ruffle her hair one last time before leaving to go find his camera. He had spent the better part of three weeks putting Victories gift together, and he was beginning to get nervous about the idea of her actually opening it. Teddy had received a camera for this thirteen birthday, and had been taking pictures ever since. He was rather good at it, though he expected that he would be. He had spent his entire life looking at photographs of other people.

The Burrow was quickly filling up with people as more and more of the Weasley/Potter clan arrived. Bill and Fleur were the next to arrive with their children. Though as soon as they entered the front entrance, Victorie had rushed off to go and find Teddy. Dominique and Louis took the time to go and say hello to Grandma Weasley who was bustling about in the kitchen with Ginny and Angelina. The last to arrive was Charlie, as single as ever and enjoying every minute of it. No matter how many times his mother tried to set him up on a date.

Lucy, Lily, Roxanne, Hugo, and Albus were huddled around a coffee table in the living room playing a game of exploding snap while James and Fred tried to sneak into the kitchen to grab some biscuits. Though it never really worked, Grandma Weasley had eyes in the back of her head and a sixth sense of when mischief was afoot. The trouble makers had been banned from the kitchen on more than one occasion. Rose and Molly where curled up on the couch, one reading a book and the other reading the newspaper, while Louis talked to Grandpa Weasley about new muggle technologies. Arthur was fascinated by the contraption that so many muggles were buying to make juice; what was so wrong with just buy a jug?

Any family dinner was a full one at The Burrow. But holidays, such as Christmas, were even busier because everyone made the effort to be there. There was a rule that the adults got to have a seat at the table, and everyone else had to trick and elbow each other for a seat on a stair, sofa, or ottoman. You had to make an effort to pile your plate with all the food you were going to eat, because if you got up for seconds you could bet that your seat would be taken and you would be stuck sitting on the floor when you returned.

Once dinner and desert was finished, it was time to open presents. To make things less hectic, each individual family usually opened up their presents on Christmas morning. They tried opening presents all together, but it took them over four hours and there were still gifts left over. The cousins did a secret Santa every year, after drawing names during thanks giving dinner. Those gifts were exchanged after dinner, along with their gifts from grandma and grandpa Weasley. Although it was a bit too much for Molly to handle knitting every grandchild a sweater, she still took pleasure in knitting them mitts, and scarves, and hats. She kept a list of who she had made what each year in order to make sure she wasn't always making that same grandchildren mittens.

Rose was delighted to wrap her red and gold stripped scarf around her neck, a nod to her Gryffindor house. Albus was knitted a hunter green hat with flaps to keep his eats warm. Although he would have been happier with any other colour, he hugged and kissed his Gran just the same for thinking of him.

**Spring**

The snow had finally melted away from the school grounds, and each day was getting warmer and sunnier. Students were beginning to litter the grounds during break rather than huddling in groups within the castle to keep warm. It was coming near to the end of term, leaving many of the students who had not begun to study for end of term exams to begin to panic.

It was during this time that Rose had begun to find other places to student rather than the library. There were too many panicked students in there trying to feverishly absorb all of the information that they could. Students, such as her cousin Dominique, were also studying for their upcoming OWLS, and were likely to bite the head off of anyone who dared to interrupt them. Rose knew that this was true. She had made the mistake of asking her cousin if she could join her study table last week and had nearly been hexed. She didn't take it personally though, stress did odd things to people.

As the days continued to get warmer, Rose had taken to studying by the black lake. She had always enjoyed the sound of water, and it was far enough away from the castle that most students didn't bother travelling there unless it was the weekend. She had taken to skipping rocks across the lake when her brain needed a break. She found it calming to hold the smooth flat rick in her hand, and had gotten rather good at tossing thing. Her personal best is four skips, but she's hoping to be able to do five before she leaves for the summer.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or is Rose actually taking a study break?"

Rose turned around to see Albus and Scorpius walking over towards her. "Shut it Albus. I'm still going to beat you in every class."

Albus laughed and took a seat on the grass. "Oh, I have no doubt about that and am perfectly contest with you being the nerd of the family." He added a wink at the end to let her know that he was joking, but she stuck her tongue out at him none the less. "Besides, it's Scorpius here that you should be watching out for. He's at the top of all of our class's right alongside you."

Rose's eyes flicked towards the blonde boy who was in the process of shoving Albus' shoulder and telling him to shut up. It was true, she and Scorpius had been neck and neck for top of the class for the entire year. They each had a few classes that they were only marginally better than the other in. But when it came to their average grade, it was exactly the same. Rose had not been pleased with this, She had wanted to be top of the class just like her mom had, and she wanted to be Scoprius just like her dad wanted. Depending on how her exams went, she might not get either. With that thought in mind, she tossed the last rock that she had and walked back over to her spot by the large rock and opened her Charms textbook to where she had left off. She was going to beat that Scorpius Malfoy or die trying.

As she attempted to concentrate on her Charms textbook, Rose found herself thinking back to the letter that her mother had sent to her at the beginning of the school year; back to what she had said about Scorpius' father. For the briefest of moments, Rose wondered when her father's grudge had become her own. But the thought was quickly pushed from her mind when she recalled all of the things that he father had told her over the years. Some apples didn't fall from the tree, and sometimes those apples were just as rotten at the tree which they came from.

* * *

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this first chapter! I hope that you enjoyed it. If you have a moment, please send me a review and tell me your thoughts on how it is going so far. I would love to hear what you think of the next generation characters that have been introduced so far. While this story will focus on Rose, all of the next generation kids will have their own story line as well in the upcoming chapters. Please tell me things that you would like to see or expect to happen. I'm always curious about peoples ideas of how they think the next generation children end up.

The next chapter will likely be a week or two from now. As you can see I am writing it year by year (more or less), so there is a lot of time to cover. But I will get it out as soon as possible :)

Cheers!


	3. Year Two

Thank you so much for all of your encouraging reviews! It really does mean a lot to see that people are reading and enjoying this story. :) Sorry for the long wait for chapter two. But as you can see each chapter is quite long and takes a while to write. I'm hoping that the next chapter won't take as long, because I already have some of it written.

Hope you enjoy the next chapter. Please send me your thoughts!

**Year Two**

**Summer**

Rose had enjoyed being home for the summer. She welcomed the familiarity after being at Hogwarts for the school year. She likes that Hugo asked her all about Hogwarts. He's getting excited knowing that his time will soon come to attend the magical school. Rose cared a lot for her brother, he was soft spoken and could be easily overlooked by other children his age. Hugo had a speech impediment since he began to speak. He stumbled over his words and would begin to stutter when he grew nervous or excited. Their father had taken him to a speech therapist in hopes that Hugo would grow out of it, but he never did. Rose only hoped that the other students at school would be kind to him and that it wouldn't affect his spell work too much.

She had spent the summer with her cousins and visiting her grandparents in the muggle world. She really did miss seeing them throughout the school year, there was always something so comforting about being in their home. It was quiet, something that you never got in a Weasley or Potter household. Her grandmother took her to see plays in the city and her grandfather took Hugo to the lake and taught him how to fish. Hugo was so excited when he caught his first fish, even though it was small in out to fit in his pocket.

Their time with their cousins was split between Grandma and Grandpa Wealsey's home, the beach at Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's Cottage and Uncle Fred's Joke shop. Hugo spent lots of time with Grandpa Weasley looking through all of his muggle items in the garage. They could spend hours and hours in there with no complaint. Rose enjoyed being at Shell Cottage the most. She enjoyed laying on the beach and listening to the wave crash up against the shore and the smell of the salty air. That sound and smell was always able to calm her mind.

**Autumn**

When the Hogwarts Express comes to a stop, Rose gathered her belongings and climbed out of the train along with the other students. Instead of making the journey across The Black Lake, she would be taking one of the carriages along with everyone else. Her cousins had told her all about the horseless carriages. She found that some magical things, like the carriages, rather unsettling, but kept her thoughts to herself. There was no way that she was going to give Fred and James fuel for that fire.

As Rose turned the corner towards the bay of carriages she gasped. The carriages were not horseless at all! strapped to the front of the cart were ghastly looking creatures. They looked to be the skeletal figure of a winged horse with it's dark skin drawn tightly over it's bones.

Albus came up behind her and shook her shoulder. Other students were all climbing onto the carriages and heading towards the castle. "Rose, what you are doing? Come on, we're going to be late for the feast."

"I… I thought that the carriages drew themselves… James said they drew themselves…"

Albus cocked his head to one side at his cousins words. "What are you going on about? They are drawn by themselves."

"Are you blind? Can't you see those hideous creatures!?"

"They're called Thestral's." Rose turned around at the voice only to find Scorpius Malfoy behind her. "They can only be seen by a person who has seen death. To everyone else, they are invisible. I've read that they can be quite frightening looking though."

"You can't see them either?"

Scorpius shook his head. With some nudging, Albus was able to get her to climb into one of the carriages, and head up towards the castle.

Rose can't even remember the ride. Her mind instead was replaying brief moments of a time so many years ago. She can remember laying with who she believes was her mother, who looks as though she is sleeping. The next things she remember is hearing this awful rattling sound, and crying. Someone enters the room and picks her up, but that is all that her mind can remember. Suddenly, she is sick to her stomach. She was with her mother when she died. That is why she can see the Threstals.

Roses barely sleeps the first night. She is too full of anticipation for the next letter that we will get from her mother. She waits until dawn begins to shine through the window of her dormitory, before getting dressed and heading down to The Great Hall. She knows that being there early won't make the letter come any sooner, but she just couldn't stay in bed any longer.

She's mid chapter of her Transfiguration textbook and sipping on her pumpkin juice when Molly strolls by her table.

"Oh, Rose. Here, This letter got dropped on my plate this morning. Owl must have gotten us mixed up."

Rose nearly spills her pumpkin juice in her eagerness to take the letter from her cousin. The moment it's in her hand, she grabs her books and rushes out of the hall to find a quiet place to read it.

"Uh, you're _welcome!"_

Rose finds a quiet spot in the courtyard before throwing down her book-bag and ripping open the envelope.

_Dear Rose,_

_I was twelve when I was called a Mudblood. And while I do not condone the use of such language, I feel that it is important that you understand why. Mudblood is a derogatory term for a witch or wizard who is muggle-born. Someone like me. It is used by those who believe that because someone comes from a non-magical family are of a lower grade person than someone who does comes from magical parents. I was called a Mudblood by a boy my age who was brought up to believe that because of where I came from I did not deserve to learn magic, that I had 'dirty blood'. That is what his family believed and taught him. I remember being called that, and knowing by others reactions that it was bad, but not knowing what it meant. I wish now that I didn't know what it meant, that no one did._

_That was the day that your dad tried to defend me by cursing the boy who called me that wretched name. Unfortunately, his wand was broken and your dad was the one that ended up puking slugs for the day. Still, it was sweet. But as I hope you have been told, I was certainly capable of holding my own and taking care of myself. That following year I threatened that boy who called me that awful name with a few choice words, and a well-positioned wand. I still laugh when I think about the look on his face as he ran away._

_I think it's important for you to know that this boy didn't always think of me as that hideous name. It was partially because I had wounded his pride in front of his team mates, and partly because he was at the age where we reflect our parents. And he didn't have a good example to go from. In fact, when we first met, before he realised that I was a muggle-born witch, he was quite nice to me. He had noticed that I was reading a potions textbook on the train and stuck up a conversation about how the teacher of that class was a close family friend. He was bragging yes, but he was pleasant. Just so you know, that boy did eventually apologize to me, but that's another story for another time._

_You may not remember this, but while I sick, a friend of mine would visit and bring his son with him. The two of you clicked instantaneously and were almost inseparable. You were both incredibly bright for your ages and seemed to just feed off of the others intelligence and excitement. I could see so much of myself in you when you were around him. You always wanted to do better than him; jump higher, run faster, and imagine bigger. I hope that the two of you are still friends, regardless of what other people think. And that includes your dad; he never could let go of a grudge._

_Some days, I wonder if you will remember any of the past few years. If you will remember me at all after a while, or if I will become a distant memory, like how you remember your first pet or a lost friend. I hope you don't remember the unpleasant things, like when I was really sick or when I started to lose my hair. I hope you don't remember how your dad and I used to fight. I hated it when he and I would fight, because I could see how it upset you so. I wonder if Hugo will remember me at all. One day, when he's old enough I hope you'll share these stories with him, and I hope you two can help each other to remember that I loved you both very, very much._

_Love always,_

_Mom_

Scorpius made sure that he went to bed extra early last night in order to be fully rested for Quidditch tryouts that morning. He and Albus had been running drills and pick-up games for the past few weeks in anticipation for quidditch team try-outs. Albus was hoping to make the team in order to prove to his older brother that he was just as good as him. James was a beater for the Gryffindor team, and had been one since his second year. Their father was still the only student in Hogwarts history to be accepted onto a house Quidditch team during his first year of schooling.

While Albus was hoping to fill a beater vacancy for the Slytherin team, Scorpius was hoping for a seeker position on the Gryffindor one. The team was only had two vacancies, but the newer rules forced captains to hold try-outs for all positions each year. As he arrived on the pitch, he could see that he had his work cut out for him. There were only six positions left on the team, the Captain already taking over for keeper, and there were over twenty students there.

Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and made his way over to the captain who was taking note of who was trying out.

"Name?"

"Scorpius."

"Last Name?"

Scorpius sighed. The one question that he always dreaded answering. "Malfoy."

He could see out of the corner of a his eye, a few players turning to look at him. It was a reaction that he was all too used to receiving once people realised that he was a Malfoy. Although his father had made peace with many of the people that he had done wrong by in the past, and tried to make a positive image for himself, the family name still had a strong negative connotation in the wizarding world. He made a conscious effort to avoid telling people his last name and hated that he was judged so harshly on things that happened years before he was even born. He always felt as though he has to fight ten times as hard for people to see past his name.

The captain looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a look that said _you don't belong here._ "position?"

"Uh, seeker."

"Wait over there."

As he walked over to a bench with his broom, Scorpius knew that his fate on the team had already been decided.

When the results of the quidditch tryouts are posted, Scorpius is not surprised to see that he hadn't made the team. There had only been him and one other student who had tried out for the position of Seeker, and while he was more skilled and had done better at the drills than the third year that he was up against, the other player was more well liked. He could hear the other students begin to whisper when he name was called for the try out. They were surely passing back and forth stories about his family and the things that they had done. When they looked at him they only saw one thing: death eater.

"Hey Scorp, I made Beater! Did you get the seeker spot?"

As much as he appreciated his friend, Scorpius was feeling out of control over his emotions and felt that it was best if he didn't talk to Albus about the try outs. He didn't want to belittle his friends accomplishments simply because he didn't get what he wanted. Instead he pretended not to hear him and made a fast track for the Gryffindor common rooms.

Rose happened to be walking by the posting when she saw Scorpius stalk off and leave Albus talking to himself. As her cousin called after his friend, Rose stepped forward and took a closer look at the house team lists. Scanning the names, she found the Scorpius Malfoy was not one of them.

"I suppose he's upset that he wasn't able to buy his way onto the team."

"Shut it, Rose. You have no idea what you're talking about. Scorpius should have made the team."

"Apparently, Nicholas Wood didn't think that he was good enough."

"But he was! Scorpius told me that he caught four more snitches than that third year!"

"Then why didn't he make the cut?"

"Because half of this school thinks of him the same way that you do! They all judge him for things that his family did years ago, things that he was never apart of, things that he was just born into! No one takes the time to realise that he's actually a good person. Including you!"

Before Rose could come to her defence, Albus turned and left her; she assumed to go and find Scorpius. When she looks around, she notices that Albus' yelling has attracted the attention of a few passing by students. She can feel her neck and face grow warm with embarrassment as she ducks her head down and escapes to the courtyard.

When the cool autumn wind hits her. She doesn't stop and continues on towards the black lake; the one spot that she can always go to when she needs to think. As she sits down on the cool stone she begins to think back to what Albus said. It was true. In the time that she had known Scorpius she had never tried to get to know him. Even when he had visited Shell Cottage for a swim with all of them she had made an effort to ignore him and stay on different ends of the beach.

She can't help but think back to her mother's letter and wonder if she is just as horrible as the boy that called her mother that disgusting name. That boy judged her mother by the same thing that she was judging scorpius by: Where they came from. Her mother was judge harshly and made to feel like an outcast simply because she was the daughter of two muggles. She was judging Scorpius because of all the stories that she had been told about his family. They had done a lot of bad things to good people, including her family. Hating him made her feel vindicated, like she had the right to dislike him. Part of her knew that that was wrong.

But another part of her felt that he needed to take some responsibility in the matter. That he should recognize that his family were not good people, And that simply being born into that doesn't absolve you of the repercussions of their actions. That was life.

Rose laid her head in her hands and groaned. This was giving her a migraine.

**Winter**

"Come on Vic, you've been studying _all_ day, you need a break."

"If I start slacking off now I'll never pass my NEWTS."

"That is bullshite and you know it."

Victorie continued to ignore teddy, who was currently relaxing on her bed, while she studied Defence Against the Dark Arts at her desk. She desperately wanted to do well on her NEWTS. She still was not sure what it was that she wanted to do with her life. So she felt the need to do well in everything in order to keep all of her doors open. And that meant using her winter break to study.

Teddy began to change the colour of his hair, something he often did out of boredom. It went from brown to blue to black, then to white. "Pleeeeeeaasseee…. I'm so bored…"

"You're the one who insisted that she wanted to keep me company while I studied."

"True. But I didn't think it would take this long to be able to distract you." He replied as he turned his head to grin at her. His hair was currently a lime green.

She couldn't help but smile back at him. His grins were contagious. "Fine. I'll take a break. But only for a couple hours, until dinner."

Teddy jumped up from the bed in delight before grabbing his bag and pulling Victorie out of her room by her wrist. After they had put on their winter clothing and cast a quick warming charm on their hands and feet, they decided to make a trip into town. Teddy treated her to a hot chocolate and held her hand as they walked through a park. It was just beginning to gently snow, dusting everything in a fresh white blanket. Teddy soon pulled out his camera and began snapping pictures of the park and of Victorie. Most of her poses were silly, as she tried to get him to laugh. But when she wasn't paying attention, she was able to capture some truly beautiful side profiles. Teddy always thought that she was the most beautiful person he had ever met.

They were soon interrupted by another witch who was strolling through the park. "You're a natural." She said to Victorie. "Have you ever thought of modelling?"

Victorie blushed, "Oh, no. It's not really my thing. We were just goofing around."

The Witch asked to see some of the pictures that Teddy had taken, which he showed her. "My name is Jolene Wingknott. I work for a photography company that does the pictures for all of the big magazines. You're young, beautiful, and with your history… I know that Witch Weekly would certainly be interested in featuring you and using some of these lovely photos. You have quite the gift as well young man." Teddy blushed and thanked the photographer. "Here's my card. Send me an owl if you change your mind."

Victorie had no desire to become a fashion model, or to be featured in a magazine. She honestly did not see the point of spending your life being primped and polished and having lights flashed in your face for hours on end. She wanted to do something more with her life. But when she saw how happy Teddy was that someone in an industry liked his photographs she knew what she had to do. It had been Teddy's dream ever since his Godfather gave him the camera for his thirteenth birthday to become a real photographer; to have people all over the world see things how he saw them. Victorie knew that this could open a lot of doors for him. Sure, she didn't want to do fashion shoots, but everyone had to start somewhere. And if she did this one thing, he could have a fighting chance at having his dream come true. It was that thought alone that sealed her decision.

With a week left before she had to go back to school, Victorie borrowed Louise's owl and sent a short letter to Jolene Wingknott.

_Dear Ms. Jolene Wingknott,_

_I am writing you in regards to your offer to interview me for Witch Weekly. I have taken your offer into consideration and would be willing to take you up on your offer. There is only one condition that I require, that photographs that are used in the magazine must be ones that have been taken by Teddy Lupins. He must also receive full credit in the magazine for the photographs._

_If this condition is not acceptable to you, than I graciously decline your offer._

_Best regards,_

_Victorie Weasley _

Two months later, when the Valentines issue of Witch Weekly was delivered with the morning mail, The Great Hall began to buzz with chatter. Victorie had be featured on the cover, with a feature story on what it was like to grow up as a child of a war hero within it's pages. A few younger students asked Victorie if they would sign their magazine, while the some older boys whistled as she walked by. Some people didn't even bother to read the article. But those that did were not pleased with the things that Victorie had said.

_The daughter of two war veterans, Victorie Weasley is tragically beautiful. One can only imagine what it is like for her younger sister Dominique to try and live up to her older sisters beauty. Then again, there always has to be a pretty sister. She is the eldest child of werewolf Bill Weasley and Vela Fleur Delacour, a strange pairing to say the least. When discussing her odd family dynamics, the delicate young witch became teary eyed and said that having a werewolf as a father was "quite difficult". One can only imagine the horrors that these children have seen. But she looked to be quite gleeful when we spoke of her mother's side and went onto say that "everyone was very grateful that we got my mother's veela genetics rather that those werewolf ones". Glad indeed, surely the wizarding community wouldn't be as accepting if she had a coat of fur peeking through her clothing._

_Though this revelation from the young witch leaves more questions than answers. If she is so grateful not to have werewolf genetics, than why is it that she has been rumoured to be dating a child of another werewolf war veteran? Victorie Weasley and Teddy Lupin (son of Remus Lupin and Andromeda Tonks) have been close friends since they were children. The rumour going around is that the relationship has grown over the years, and that things are now getting serious. When we asked Victorie about her relationship with young Teddy she laughed and said, "Oh, it isn't serious. I'm just having some fun". It sounds to this reporter that Victorie may be using her veela tainted looks to string along any boy that tickles her fancy. _

_One can only imagine the heartbreak that Teddy will go through once she stops stringing him along. Keep an eye out readers, Teddy Lupin could be going back on the market sooner than you think. _

_Rita Seeker, Witch Weekly Reporter._

Victorie was shocked and hurt by the way that the the reporter had twisted her words around to make her looks like a spoiled brat."I didn't say any of this! She completely twisted my words around!"

Dominique glared back at her older sister. "That's what you get when you agree to do an interview with that skeezebag Skeeter. How could you be so stupid?"

Victorie rolled her eyes at her sister. "I already told you, Dom. I didn't know that she was the one who was going to be doing the interview. It was too late, i would have had to walk out off the interview. And you know exactly how _that_ would have looked. _Spoiled Child of war hero throws temper tantrum and barges out of interview knocking young children down as she goes!_" Victorie fished off her speech by throwing her hands up in the air in anger.

Dominique pursed her lips, "I'm sure it helped knowing that you would be getting published."

"Seriously, Dom? I could care less about being photographed for some teen-aged magazine. I just thought that it would be fun. Now, if you're done badgering me, I have studying to do."

Dominique stared after her sister, and she wasn't the only one. Heads were turning and fingers were being pointed at her sister and she passed by other students. Why was it that she always got the attention. From boys, from other girls, from their parents. Dominique felt like she couldn't hold a candle to her older sibling. Something that Rita Skeeter was all too quick to point out to her readers.

As Dominique was brooding, Molly came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Dom, did you see the magazine? Victorie looks gorgeous!"

Suddenly, Dom could not stand to hear one more person say one more thing about her _perfect_ sister. "Urgh! who cares about some bloody magazine! I am so sick of being related to half of the people that go to this bloody school!"

Dominique turned on her heel and continued up a staircase to the second floor, leaving Molly feeling guilty. It was clear that she had hit a nerve with her cousin. Molly was sure that having everyone fawn over Victorie was making Dominique feel like she was second best. And though Molly thought that Dominique was equally as pretty, she was sure that it could be hard living up to an older sister like that. Knowing that Dominique would come around once this magazine thing blew over, Molly shrugged her shoulders and continued on her way.

Once her classes were finished for the day, Molly made her way back up to her dorm room in order to drop off her bag before dinner. As she set her bag down, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Straightening her back, she walked toward the front of the full length mirror and gave herself a hard look. Ever since Victorie had been featured on the cover of Witch Weekly, all of the other girls had been fawning over how lovely and beautiful her older cousin was. And it's not that those things weren't true, Victorie was extremely kind and extraordinarily beautiful. All of Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's children were.

Molly had always felt rather dull in comparison. She had inherited the Weasley trademark red hair, but instead of being soft and wavy like Victorie's, or straight and smooth like her sister Lucy's, Molly had been cursed with frizzy hair that couldn't decided if it was going to curl or not. It was a nightmare to brush, and even more difficult to make look half decent. Today was no different.

Letting her eyes travel past her nest-like hair, Molly began to take in the rest of her body. She had always been on the chubby side. Certainly not obese by by means, but almost as if she had never gone through the phase of losing her baby fat. Her face was rounder, she had full thighs and arms, and a soft stomach. She was often left out of the swapping of clothes between her female cousins simply because she would never be able to fit into their clothes. She seemed to be the only one who didn't have a slender figure.

Dominique and Victorie had boys chasing after them since there were ten years old. Both had a number of previous boyfriends, and gone on a number of dates. Molly on the other hand felt as though she would never be asked out on a date. Boys just didn't seem to look at her they way they looked at their cousins. With a sigh of defeat, Molly flopped down onto her four-poster bed and buried her head into her pillow.

**Spring**

Rose hated that she doesn't remember much about her mother. That when she closed her eyes the only images of her mother that she could conjure up were the ones that she had seen in photographs. None of her memories were her own. So on days like this, when she can't remember what it is like to have a mother and know what he voice sounds like and how her touch feels, Rose hides herself away and pulls a box out from the bottom of her trunk. And in this box she hides all of the bits and pieces of her mother that she has been able to find over the years. There are old newspaper clippings, photographs, and books that she had been mentioned in, and small trinkets of her mother's that she had been given or found. This box is all that she has of the women that created and carried her.

As she looked through her box, she wished that she were at home. That she and Hugo could look at pictures of their mother together. It was something that they liked to do together. Though it was nice to hear stories of their mother, sometimes they like to just look at pictures and imagine what she was like. Imagine which type of cookies she would make at Christmas, or if she would do voices when she read stories to them. They would imagine the things that no one could tell them.

Rose quickly wiped the tears from her eyes as she heard her dorm mates coming up the stairs. She grabbed bag and hurried past them as they entered the room, she didn't want them to see her like this. Once she heard the portrait door of The Fat Lady close behind her, Rose was greeted with an empty corridor, and suddenly she had no where to go. The Library was sure to be full by now. And Albus was still rather crossed with her about the whole Malfoy thing that she didn't think he would let her sit with them even if there was room. With a sigh, Rose made her way to the front entrance and found herself a spot in the stone steps.

Albus poked his head out of the train cart along with Scorpius when he saw his brother James already picking a treat out for the train ride. "Oh James! Would you like me to buy that chocolate frog for you? My pocket is feeling a bit heaving with all my winnings from our little bet."

Jame's cheeks went scarlet. He shoved the frog that he had pick up back onto the cart and said some rather vulgar things underneath his breath before stalking off down the train's corridor. The Quidditch finals between Slytherin and Gryffindor had been the previous week, and James had made a wager with his brother that Gryffindor would win. However, when The Gryffindor's seeker failed to notice the the snitch was hovering by his ear, the team quickly lost. Albus had been rubbing his brother's defeat in his face every day since.

Scorpius shook his head at the two brothers. "How long until you let him forget this?"

Albus stroked his chin in thought, "Oh I don't know… Maybe a month or two, you know, until next years quidditch games start up."

The two laughed and began filling their arms with candies. Thought Scorpius felt a bit disappointed this his house had lost, he was happy that it was their seekers fault. Perhaps next year the team would realise that he was the better of the two and that they needed him on the team, regardless of his last name.

"I see you're still shoving Slytherin's win in Jame's face."

Albus turned around to see his cousin Rose picking up a box of B_ertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. _The two had been at odds for a good portion of the school year. He still loved his cousin, but he was trying to be a good friend to Scorpius as well. And Rose just couldn't seem to get past the history that their family had with the Malfoy's. He hoped that eventually she would be able to let it go and get to know Scorpius.

"I see you're still bitter that Gryffindor lost."

Rose rolled her eyes, "I really could care less about quidditch, Albus. Besides, that bloke they picked as our seeker is a complete imbecile. I mean the Snitch was _right there_. How could he not see it?"

Scorpius snorted, "At least he didn't run into his own team mate this time."

Rose wasn't able to hold back the laugh that his comment caused her. Both Scorpius and Albus looked surprised at her outburst and began to laugh themselves.

"Well, perhaps now they will give the spot to someone who can actually play. If they want Gryffindor to win next year, they better put you in as seeker."

Rose let the compliment slip out of her mouth before she even fully realised what she was saying. Had she really just complimented Scorpius Malfoy? Albus threw a look of pride at his cousin. He knew it would take time, but he knew that she would come around eventually. Scorpius had a slight look of shock on his face. Rose Weasley had barely said more that a handful of sentences to him in two years, and now she had given him a compliment.

Rose seemed to shake herself out of the daze that she had just been in. How could she say something like that? It's not that what she said wasn't true. She had seen Scorpius play pick-up games when he visited Albus over the summer, and he was rather good. Far better than the moron that their house currently had. But still, he was a Malfoy. A good person couldn't come from a family that was so bad, could they?

With a quick and curt goodbye, Rose pressed her money into the hand of the trolley latter and very nearly ran back to her compartment. If her father ever heard her speaking well of a Malfoy she was sure that his head would catch on fire and explode.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read. Please take a moment to send me a review with your thoughts! More and more of the Weasley/Potter clan will be introduced and have story lines as the story progresses. :)


	4. Year Three

Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers! I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

There is a **warning**that I have to include with this chapter. There is discussion of eating disorders, so if this could be a trigger for you please do not read further. As the story progresses and the characters age there will be more warnings. But I will try to name all of them in the beginning note :)

**Year Three**

**Summer**

Dominique was sitting in the family living room while her parent's prepared dinner. It was her seventeenth birthday and they were cooking her favourite. As she flipped through that week's edition of Witch Weekly, the sound of her older sister playing the cello drifted down the stairs. Her sister had been playing the cello since she was eleven years old. It had been their grandmother's instrument of choice and had been passed down to the three of them.

Louis had never held an interest in playing it, preferring a more alternative style of music. Victorie had picked the instrument up and never put it down. She was a natural, with long and delicate fingers that were able to stretch the neck of the instrument. She had continued playing ever since, and had even been a part of the Hogwarts Orchestra in her later years of schooling. Dominique loved the deep rich sound that the cello made. But when she had tried to play there was nothing but screeches and blistered fingertips. No matter how long or hard she practised, she was never as good as her sister. Eventually she just stopped trying to play the instrument.

Once dinner was over, her father brought out a delicately iced white cake with lavender writing and flowers. Seventeen candles flickered as her family sang began to sing happy birthday. As they were nearing the end of the song, an owl came in through the open kitchen window and dropped a letter on the table. Dominique recognized the Hogwarts seal and her heart instantly sank.

"Oh no!" Victorie gasped.

The results of her NEWTS had arrived. And in that single paper envelope held her entire future. She quickly snatched the envelope and ripped it open. Her eyes quickly scanned the letter as the candles of her sisters cake continued to burn. After she was able to take in the results she began jumping up and down in delight. Bill and Fleur rushed over to their eldest child and wrapped their arms around her and congratulations as Louis picked up the letter and began to look over it himself. The conversation quickly moved to Victories success and what jobs she would be able to apply for now that she had succeeded in getting the grades that she needed.

Dominique sat back and rolled her eyes. How hard was it for her to have one day where her sister wasn't the centre of attention. All her life, Dom had felt as though she was playing second fiddle to her older, smarter, kinder, prettier, and thinner sister. There was never a day that she didn't feel that she was being compared to her, or that she wasn't able to live up to the president that her sister had created. She could feel anger and worthlessness begin to fester and bubble up inside of her. She needed out of the room.

Without a second thought, Dom blew out her candles and ran out the back door towards the beach. Her stride was unsteady in the shifting sand, but she didn't let herself slow down. When she came to the edge of the pier she jumped off and let herself sink to the sandy beach floor. She gripped her blond hair in her hands and pulled at it, letting out the scream that she had been holding in. She screamed until there was no longer oxygen in her lungs and her chest began to burn.

**Autumn**

Roxanne eagerly bounces on the balls of her feet. She and her cousins Hugo, Lily and Lucy are waiting to be let into the Great Hall so that they can be sorted into their houses and begin their first year at Hogwarts. Her older brother Fred had given her a reassuring hug just before getting off the train as told her that she would be fine. Fred was good that way, he had always looked out for her ever since they were toddlers.

Lucy elbowed her stomach to get her to stop bouncing up and down when Professor Longbottom came out to get them. He made sure to give the four Weasleys a thumbs up as they walked by.

There was always a roar of cheers and a thunder of clapping when one of the Potter/Weasley clan climbed up onto the stool to be sorted. Hugo had been the first to be called. The hat had barely touched his head when it shouted out for him to join his fellow Gryffindors. Her older sister and cousins all stood on their seats clapping and whistling for him as he ran over to the table.

The next Weasley to be called up to the sorting hat was Lucy. "_Ah, another Weasley! My, my how many more of you are there? No matter, let's see what we have here… A lovely spirit you have. So different from your father. He was always so serious. I think you'll find many just like you here… HUFFLEPUFF!" _

Lucy happily hopped down from the stool and raced to join the Hufflepuff table. She was congratulated by students who were already there and could hear the cheering of her family in the background. She was finally beginning to feel like we was in a place that she belonged with people that would understand her. She turned her her head as she hear Lily's name being called. She knew that Lily was nervous about where the hat would place her. Sending a grin to her cousin, Lucy set her hands under the table and crossed her fingers that Lily would get a house that would make her happy.

"_Hmm…. Curious. Very curious. How marvelous it is that you Potter children are so different from eachother. Not one of you are like the other. I can see here in your mind that you are a quiet one. It's clear that you are not loud or outspoken like your older brothers… But there is a gentle kindness in you. A wonderful asset to have. I think this will be a good place for you. HUFFLEPUFF!"_

Lily tried her best to hide her disappointment about being sorted into the Hufflepuff house. She had always felt as though she could not compare to her charismatic and outgoing older brothers. She had been hoping to be sorted into Gryffindor, to prove to herself that she was worth more than she currently felt she was. Though if nothing else, she was grateful that she had Lucy to keep her company.

Roxanne Weasley took a seat on the sorting stool next. She watched her cousin Lily walk over to the Hufflepuff table and felt an ache in her chest towards her. Lily had talked to her all summer about how much she was hoping that the Sorting Hat would see something in her. She was sure that the Hufflepuff house was not what the redhead had in mind.

As the hat was placed on Roxanne's head, she took a deep breath. She wasn't exactly sure why she was so nervous. There was no one house that she wanted to be in above all of the others. She felt that she would be able to enjoy herself in any of the four houses. Though part of her knew that was only because she had family in each and every house. She could feel the Sorting Hat rooting around in her mind. It would let out a noise of thought or discovery every once in a while, but other than that was silent.

"_I know just what to do with you. SLYTHERIN!_"

And with that Roxanne was the first Weasley (she put Albus into the Potter category) to be sorted into the Slytherin house. That thought alone put a smile on her face.

Rose was having breakfast with her brother when the morning post arrived. An owl dropped a letter on top of Rose's toast while she was going over her brothers timetable.

"Hey Rose, is that a letter from Dad?"

Rose felt the heat rise into her face. Should she tell Hugo about the letters that she had been getting? What if he doesn't get a letter? "Oh! Um, no. It's just a letter from Aunt Angelina. I asked her to send me some information about…Something... Enjoy your breakfast! Don't be late for class!"

With that lie out of the way, Rose climbed out of the bench and scooped up her belongings. She couldn't risk reading the letter at the the house table with Hugo right beside her. If he happened to read something over her shoulder he would have a lot of questions that she didn't have any answers for. She hoped one day that we would be able to let him in on this secret of hers. She hoped even more that he would forgive her to keeping it to herself all these years.

Without enough time to find a place to read her mother's letter in private, Rose placed the letter in between the pages of one of her textbooks and headed the class. Reading the letter would have to wait until tonight, Rose thought to herself as she walked into her first period transfiguration class. With a quick shake of her head, she pulled out her quill and parchment notebook and began to take down the notes that were already written on the board.

It wasn't until after dinner that Rose had a moment to herself. While the rest of the Gryffindor house were all lounging in the Common Room and talking to each other about how their summers had been, Rose snuck up to her empty dormitory.

Drawing the curtains closed around her four-poster bed, Rose cast a quick lumos spell and pulled out the letter from her bag. Though her eagerness made her hands shake, she was careful not to rip any of the paper. Unfolding the delicate parchment, Rose drew her wand closer to the letter in order to give herself better light for reading.

_Dear Rose,_

_When your dad and I started thinking about having children we had different opinions. He wanted lots of children, I only wanted a few. He was ready to show you of all the things that we had done growing up. I felt that doing so would skew your vision of the real word. I wanted you to grow up humbled, and not thinking that this world owes you something just because of who your parents are, because it doesn't. I always told your Dad not to tell you and Hugo of all the mischief that we had gotten into as children. I knew that all you kids would get into your own trouble without our stories to give you any ideas. However, I think you are old enough now to hear this one._

_In my third year at Hogwarts I was given a very rare opportunity. With the support of professor McGonagall, I completed a double course load with the help of Time-Turner. When I was your age, I never felt as though I had enough time. There was so much that I wanted to do and learn, but I had this constant anxiety that I was running out of enough time to do it all. I suppose in the end, my feeling was right, because I didn't have enough time, not nearly as much as I wanted._

_Having that time turner taught me many things. It taught me that we never have enough time. I could have used that device for my entire life and still not have been satisfied. There still would be things that I wanted to do, or see, or learn. There would still be people that I wanted to spend my time with. I wish more than anything that I had more time to be able to spend with you and Hugo. I wish that I could have had more time to spend with the new people in my life, the ones that I didn't get a chance to really be with._

_There is a theory that, although they can allow you to travel back in time, all time-turners follow certain time principles. The main one being, that no matter what part of your past you change, your future will still find a way of unfolding itself in the same way. And I think that is important for you to understand. Clearly, there is a reason for everything, and that reason is to bring us to the right places as the right times throughout our lives. I know this because in my third year I went back into the past to try and change it._

_Uncle Harry and I traveled back in time in order to save his Godfather, Sirius Black, from receiving the Dementor's kiss. Sirius had been wrongfully accused and sentenced for the death of Harry's parents and friend Peter Pettigrew. After breaking out of Azkaban, we discovered the Peter was indeed alive, and that he was the one who had given up the information of Harry's parent's whereabouts. We were able to save him, and an unfairly sentenced Hippogriff that night. They rode off together in the night and Sirius when into hiding. And I wish that this was where the story ended. Unfortunately, Harry's Godfather was killed two years later. As you can see, though the timeline changed, the outcome remained the same._

_In all of my experience with time, both trying to create more present and trying to change the future, I learned the most about the past. The past is a tricky thing, it's the only thing we know and the only thing that we cannot change. So many people spend so much time thinking about the past and how perhaps their present or future would be different if they could change it. When we dwell on the past, we replay the memories in our minds over and over again. The more that these events play in our mind the more distorted these memories become. We end up remembering the past better or worse than it was, or read into something that didn't mean nearly as much as we thought. By not letting go of the past, we set ourselves up for disappointment in the future. We build these things up in our mind, and when we experience them again we're left disappointed because it didn't live up to our expectation._

_It took me a long time to stop living in my past and to start moving toward the future that I wanted. I could blame this on a number of things. Being close with your Uncle Harry, and often in dangerous situations, there were times when that I wasn't sure that I would have a future; day's that I wasn't sure I would see the end of. At that time, growing old seemed like a far off dream that I had no business in having. We had lost so many close friends and allies during the war that we spent a long time after remembering them. That meant staying in the mind frame and memories of my seventeen year old self. Before I knew it I was in my twenties and didn't remember getting there. All that time, lost._

_Rose, you may not be able to control all of the events that happen to you, but you can choose how you let them affect you. You can be hurt by them, controlled by them, or you can choose to grow from them, and not let them define who you are. Remember that just because something bad happens to you does not mean that you are a bad person, or that you a being punished for doing something wrong. Things, good and bad, happen to people every day. You're meant to learn and grow from what you go through and experience. Everything that happens, happens for a reason. You may not understand the reason at the time, but I promise you, there is one. _

_Even if I had that chance, I wouldn't change anything that has happened to me. Because every event, good or bad, has shaped me into the woman that I am today. And everything that I have seen and been a part of has helped to shape the people around me as well. I wouldn't want any of people that I have met over the years to be any different than who they are. Not even your dad, not even after being on the other side of our relationship. If he was more of the person that I wanted he wouldn't be one of my very best friends, or as stubborn or as loyal, he wouldn't be Ron. I hope that you know that I love your Dad very much. I never stopped loving him. As time went on, as we began to grow apart, as I began to realise what it was that I wanted, I just loved him in a different way. No matter what, he will always be one of my best friends._

_One day, I hope that all of this will make sense to you. And I hope that you will still love me at the end of all of it._

_Love always,_

_Mom_

As Rose folds the letter back up and places it gently in her box of keepsakes, she wonders if she were to go back in time and fiddle with the things that happened; if she would be able to save her mother. She wonders about what kind of person she would be if she hadn't lost her mother. She wishes that there were some way for her to see what he life would be like if her mother was still alive. Her mom had said that she still loved her dad. Surely that meant that if things were different, if she were still alive, that they could have worked through their problems. That they could have found happiness again. But perhaps nothing would have changed the fallout that had happened in their marriage.

Rose was beginning to think that perhaps, for most people, there was no such thing as a happy ending. Not one that lasted anyways. Maybe people were happy in segments. Maybe happiness ebbed and flowed like the ocean. Sometimes it was pushing up against the shore, almost overpowering, and other times it was shallow waiting for rain to come and fill it's crater once more.

Hugo is so incredibly eager for his second charms class at Hogwarts that he can hardly keep still in his seat. Hugo know's from pestering his sister all summer that the first charms lesson is about how to perform a levitation spell on feathers. He had spent the previous night reading the chapter on levitation spells twice the night before. He just knew that he would be able to get that feather to float.

His dad and uncle Harry had told him many times about one of their first encounters with his mother. It was in their first charms class when they were also learning on how to levitate feathers.

"_And then she goes, 'It's Leve-o-sa! Not Leve-o-sar!'."_

_Uncle Harry began to laugh at his friends recounter of their school days. "And then your father, as charming as ever, had to go and insult her to our other classmates. Little did he know that she was right behind us."_

"_Oi! It wasn't that bad!"_

"_She locked herself in the bathroom for the entire night!"_

Hugo mentally said the spell to himself a few more times as the rest of the class filtered into the room and Professor Flitwick took a stand on his stool.

"Alright class, today we are going to be levitating feathers. Levitation is one of a wizards most rudimentary skills. It gives them the ability to make objects fly. Now, I trust that you have all read the chapter on levitation in your charms books. Yes? Good. Now, does everyone have a feather?" Once the class nodded, he continued. "Now, we'll practice the enchantment a few times without our wands first. Repeat after me. Wingardium Leviosa. Good! Now remember to enunciate and use that swish and flick movement that we practised yesterday. Off you go!"

Professor Flitwick allowed the class to practice for about a half an hour before calling the class back together and asked if anyone would like to demonstrate for the class. Hugo eagerly raised his hand. He was able to get the feather to float a few feet above his desk by the end of the half hour and was eager to show his classmates.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley! Wonderful! You're mother was quite good at this spell in her first year as well! Of you go then!"

Hugo cleared his throat and took a deep breath in. But when he saw that all of his classmates eyes were fixed on him he began to panic. He suddenly wished that one of his cousins were in the class with him.

"W-wing-g-gardium Levios-sa!"

In a panic, Hugo flicked his wand far more sharply than she should have. And for a second, his feather did nothing. He thought for sure that he had failed when suddenly, his feather sprung to life. it went arrow straight and shot straight into the wall opposite of him, narrowly missing the blond pigtail of a Ravenclaw. The girl gasped in fright and bucked below her desk. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Hugo began to feel as though his was nothing like his mother.

Scorpius glanced across the room of his transfiguration class to find his best friend Albus Potter staring intently at his table with a sloppy grin on his face. They were meant to be working on their assignment while their professor was speaking with the Headmistress out in the corridor. Kathryn Longbottom, who was sitting next to him on the bench had her mind focused on her textbook and was completely oblivious to Albus as he very nearly came to drooling over his desk. Scorpius crumpled up a piece of parchment and stealthily tossed it at the side of his friend's head. With a start, Albus quickly shot his friend a look before pretending to write something down just as Kathryn looked up from her work.

When class was over, Albus quickly made his way across the room. "Hi Kathryn!"

Kathryn tucked her loose brown hair around her ear and smiled, "Oh, hi Albus. Thanks for letting me borrow your notes."

"Yeah! No problem! No problem at all. Any time!"

She waved goodbye to the two boys and turned to head towards her next class. Scorpius could no longer hold in his laughter as Albus stared after her. "You should consider bringing a drop towel if you're going to keep staring at her like that every class."

"Shut it, it wasn't that bad!" Albus shot back. "... Do you think she noticed?"

"Sadly no. Because I think Kathryn is as oblivious as you are obvious. You two should make a lovely match!" Scorpius said as he pinched Albus' right cheek between his fingers.

Albus quickly shoved his friends hand away from his face and told him to piss off as he headed towards his next class. Scorpius laughed once more before heading in the opposite direction towards his potions class.

"Oi! Malfoy!"

Scorpius stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder to see the Gryffindor quidditch captain Nicholas Woods running to catch up to him. Malfoy wasn't sure why he was looking for him. After last years let down, Scorpius didn't even bother trying out for the quidditch team this year. He knew that they would never choose a _Malfoy_ to be on the team.

"Malfoy -"

"It's Scorpius."

Nicholas waved him off. "Sure, whatever. Look you have the position of Seeker."

"What are you talking about? I didn't even try out this year. You have McTaggert."

Nicholas rolled his eyes. "Please, that tosser couldn't even catch the snitch when it was buzzing by his ear. There is no way that I'm losing the cup because of him again."

When Scorpius neglected to respond, Nicholas got a look of desperation on his face. "Please! Don't make me beg. Look, you're the best seeker that our house has. Last year…"

Scorpius looked at the older student with a weary look. "You didn't want to pick me because of my name."

"And that was wrong."

Scorpius shrugged, "Wouldn't be the first time. I'll take the spot, no way are we losing to Slytherin again."

Nicholas grinned and clapped him on the back. "Sounds like a plan to me, mate! I'll see you Saturday morning bright and early for practice!"

Scorpius waved goodbye to his captain and waited until he had turned the corner and was out of sight because dropping his books and throwing his firsts in the air. Seeker! Scorpius Malfoy was going to be a seeker! Ignoring the odd looks that he was getting from the other students in the hallway, he scooped up his things and raced to the Owlery to send a letter to his father.

**Winter**

Albus could hear his dad and uncle arguing in the kitchen from the next room over. Uncle Ron had come over to have dinner while Albus' mom went to have a girl's night with Rose. His mom often did things like that with rose, like taking her clothes shopping, or going for ice cream. His mom says that her brother has the emotional range of a weed, and that Rose needs a mother figure in her life. He thinks about how Rose lost her mom when they were only kids. He can't begin to imagine what not have his mom around would be like.

"So you told him no, right?" That was his uncle.

"What? Of course not, why would I do that?" and that was his dad.

"You're going to let a Malfoy join us for Christmas? Are you trying to ruin the holiday?"

"Would you keep your voice down? And quite frankly, I don't see a problem with Albus wanting to bring his friend along for Christmas dinner! _I'm_ not going to be the parent who tells his child who he can and cannot be friends with!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I meant, Ron. Do you really think that's good for her?"

"Don't tell me what is good and not good for my children!"

"And don't tell me what's good for mine!"

Uncle Ron left in a fiery fury that could match the colour of his hair. Once he had left, Albus slowly walked into the kitchen to see his father bracing himself against the kitchen sink. The tap was still running and the bubbles from the dish washing side was rising steadily higher. Albus sighed to himself, all he wanted was to have his friend over during the holiday. He had heard hundreds of times about how his dad and Aunt Hermione spent holidays and summer vacations at the burrow. He didn't see what the big deal was.

"Dad? It's okay, you know. I don't have to have a friend over for Christmas."

Harry was startled by the sound of his son's voice. Finally noticing that the kitchen tap was still running, he quickly shut it off and turned to his youngest son.

"No, it's perfectly fine for you to have a friend over during the holidays, no matter who it is. Don't mind your Uncle Ron he just… Is _really_ good at holding grudges. Come on, you dry and I'll wash."

When Ron arrived back from Harry's home, his face was as red as his hair. His children were in the kitchen baking chocolate chip cookies when he came bumbling in. His sister Ginny only had to take one look at him to know that it would be a good idea to send Rose and Hugo upstairs. She gave them a cookie each and told them that she had to talk to their dad alone for a minute.

Rose knew better than to go and stay in her room like her Aunt had requested. As soon as she walked to her room, she closed her bedroom door and turned right back around. As quietly as she could, she crept back to the top of the staircase and crouched down so that she could just barely see into the kitchen. Her dad stilled looks pissed, and had taken a seat at the kitchen table while aunt Ginny took the last batch of cookies out of the over before they burned.

"Alright," She said as she set the stay on the counter to cool. "Out with it. What's got your wand in a knot?"

"Have you and Harry lost your minds?"

"I beg your pardon!"

"You're letting your children go off and make friends with our enemy's children! Have you forgotten what that man did to us when we were in school?"

"How could we, Ronald? You would never let us forget it! You pitting Rose against that boy is so selfish! Do you really think that this is what Hermione would have wanted?"

"Shut up! Shut up! Don't you dare talk to me about what she would have wanted!"

"You need to grow up, Ron. Before your grudges pull the rest of your family apart as well."

Aunt Ginny then apparated with a crack, leaving his dad to sit alone with his anger festering in the kitchen. Rose knew exactly what this argument had been about. Albus had mentioned to her the other day that he had invited Scorpius Malfoy over for Christmas dinner at The Burrow. She's guessing that he dad was just finding out now. Judging by his reaction, she would be willing to bet 10 galleons that they would not be going to Christmas dinner this year.

Rose tried to visit her grandparents on her mother's side as often as she could. But between being away at school, and anything to do with the Weasleys having a tendency to take over any other commitment, it wasn't as often as she would have liked. Even so, her grandparents welcomed her and Hugo with big smiles, tight hugs, and pinched cheeks. Rose had decided that to spend the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her muggle grandparents, in order to spare her fathers sanity. He was still fuming mad about Scorpius Malfoy being invited to Christmas dinner, and had made it very clear that he would not be stepping foot into The Burrow.

Rose was always struck with how different gatherings were between her muggle grandparents and her magical one; and none of those differences had to do with magic. When she was at Grandpa and Grandma Grangers, it was so relaxing. There wasn't any shouting to be heard over the person next to you and there was always a place for you to sit down. Rose and Hugo were actually able to hold a conversation with their grandparents that lasted more than a few minutes. Here, she felt like someone could actually hear her.

"Alright kids, before we dig into the lovely meal that grandma has made for us, I would like us to go ahead and say grace."

This was one of the things that she liked about having dinner here. Her grandparents were faithful Catholics. But that wasn't the religion that she cared about. It was the fact that they would always take the time to pause and be thankful for what they had. The four joined hands around the table and bowed their heads as Grandpa Granger said a short thank-you for the fact that they were fortunate to have food, family, and shelter this holiday season, when so many did not.

"So Hugo, are you enjoying your first year at Hogwarts this year? I've heard that you were sorted into the same house as your mom and dad!"

Hugo immediately jumped into telling their grandma all about his time at Hogwarts. His favourite class so far was Potions, but that was because he was good at it and it came easy to him. His least favourite class was history because the Professor Bins was so boring. He had made two good friends so far out of the boys that she shared a dormitory with. Hugo was always hard to get talking at first because he had a stutter. If he was very calm and was only speaking a few works at a time, he could usually control it. But as soon as he got excited or nervous, it would come out full force. Because of this, he often avoided anything that involved public speaking and often made it hard to make friends.

As Hugo and Grandma Granger continued to chat, Rose's grandpa turned to her and said, "I'm glad you and Hugo were able to join us for Christmas this year, Rose. It's nice having you kids in the house."

Rose smiled back at him, "I'm really glad we came too gramps."

It was just then that Rose noticed that her grandpa's eyes were filling with tears beneath his spectacles. He made a show of pulling off his glasses and cleaning them with his dinner napkin before putting them back on. "You look more and more like your mother every time we see you."

At her grandfather's kind words, Rose herself began to tear up. The red hair often caused people to peg her down as a Weasley child and not look past that aspect of who she was. It was nice to hear that she had some of her mother in her as well. Not trusting her voice, Rose nodded towards her grandfather and whispered a heartfelt thank-you. When he pressed a quick kiss to the crown of her head, she knew that he understood. She missed her mother dearly, and it was still too painful at times to talk about her.

During midnight mass, Rose thought a lot about the past few years, and about the letter's that her mother had been sending her. She had thought about asking her grandmother about it, to see if she know about them. She wanted to know how much longer she had to look forward to those letters, or if her mother had left her anything else. She had never told anyone about them, not even her brother. She had tried to watch his mail during the first few weeks at school to see if he got a letter as well, but she was never able to find out if he was getting one. And she didn't have the heart to ask, just in case the answer was no.

The priest called the congregation to stand and take part in the Lord's prayer. Rose and Hugo looked at each other, neither of them knowing the words. Their grandfather passed them an open book and pointed to the page on the right which had the words to it printed. The people of the parish joined their voices and recited the poem.

_Our Father, which art in heaven,_

_hallowed be thy Name._

_Thy Kingdom come._

_Thy will be done in earth,_

_as it is in heaven._

_Give us this day our daily bread._

_And forgive us our trespasses, _

_as we forgive them that trespass against us._

_And lead us not into temptation,_

_but deliver us from evil._

_For thine is the kingdom,_

_the power, and the glory,_

_for ever and ever._

_Amen._

Was it really so easy, Rose wondered, to forgive those that had done wrong by you? Did the act of forgiveness really wash away all of the history that had happened? Rose wondered if her father was right, if blood meant that you carried your family with you wherever you went. That you carried all of the bad and all of the good, regardless of who you turned out to be. Rose was beginning to think that perhaps it was more than that. Maybe you were the people that came before you only until you were able to decide who you wanted to be for yourself. And if that was true, it was possible that Scorpius Malfoy was not anything like his family. But it was also possible that Rose was exactly like hers. She desperately wished that she understood the intricacies of life.

Everyone had only been back from winter break for a little over a month when they were all called to McGonagall's office. Rose knew that calling the whole family together meant that it was not good news. They had tried to ask their Headmistress what it was about, but she said that it was better if they heard it from their family. And that is why they found themselves lining up to be flooed to The Burrow at such a late hour.

Rose had always thought that Dominique was quite beautiful. She can remember being a little girl and wanting to be just like her older cousin. She wanted to wear her clothes and talk like her. She wanted long blonde hair like her and blue eyes like her. Rose never came right out and told her older cousin how much she admired her. When she was younger it was because she was shy, but at she grew older it was because she was embarrassed and thought that Dominique would think that she was being annoying. As she sits with the rest of her large family in the kitchen of The Burrow, she wishes that she had said something. She wishes that she would have told Dom more often that she was pretty, and smart, and someone that she looked up to.

A few days ago, Dominique had collapsed on her way to Charms class and hit her head on the stone floor. Another student found her and called for help. Together with the help of a nearby professor, they levitated Dom to the Hospital Wing. It was Madame Pomfrey who noticed how skinny Dominique was during her examination and sent an owl to her parents. A few days later, after having a professional come in to speak with Dominique, she was diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Bill and Fleur felt that it would be best to pull Dominique out of school, and place her in a supportive environment free from stress and judgement, where she could get the proper help that she needed. Dominique wanted nothing to do with this. She kept telling everyone that there was nothing wrong with her; that she was in control. She kicked and screamed the entire way, and refused to speak to either of her parents once she had been brought to the facility.

Just as Rose was getting up to refill her tea, Bill and Fleur Flooed into the living room of the bedroom. All of the children froze in what they were doing, unsure of how to react or if it was appropriate to ask questions.

Louise, who had been quiet and deep in thought since the clan had left Hogwarts, was the first to speak up. "Is she okay?"

Fleur, who was quite visibly still upset over the whole situation was unable to speak. Bill wrapped a supportive arm around his wife and addressed his children, along with his nieces and nephews. "Dominique is going to be alight. She's getting help from some of the best trained professionals. But we feel it would be best if she took some time off of school to get better. Aunt Ginny is doing what she can to keep this out of the press, but we all want you to be prepared if they find out. You are not to speak to any media personnel about this. Understood?"

The clan all nodded their head solemnly, though Victorie felt that the comment was more directed at her. She had been the only one of their generation to speak with the media directly before. Her interview with Witch Weekly last year hadn't gone over well with her parents. She had received a howler from her mother and a stern letter from her grandmother. After that incident she had promised herself that she would never find herself in their terrible position again, or allow any of her family members to be caught in it either.

When Victorie was able to find her voice, she asked "When can I see her?". She felt like she had failed her sister, and that she would have been able to see that something was wrong.

"For right now, the Healers are not allowing many visitors. Once she is more stable, we'll arrange for all of you to see her. In the meantime, you can write her letters. I'm sure she would like that." Bill smiles at them, but it looks wrong. Like someone was just pulling at the skin around his mouth.

**Spring**

Lorcan and Lysander were the twins of her parent's friend Luna Lovegood. Lily had always thought that Luna was a bit on the strange side, but she was always very kind. They were in their third year with Albus and Rose, but had spent their second year abroad with their parent's on an expedition for some creature that Lily couldn't pronounce. The twins were also a bit on the odd side, though quite toned down in comparison to their mother. They had inherited Luna's blonde hair and their height from their father Rolf.

Lorcan was tutoring Lily in Herbology while Lysander was tutoring her in potions. Lily never felt as smart as her other siblings. School didn't come easy for her, and she had to work extra hard to get just passable grades. While their travels and their mother teaching them about herbal remedies, the twins were quite skilled in the two subjects and were more than happy to help their friends little sister out. They met with her once a week to go over her assignments and provide clarification on the areas that she didn't understand or had gotten wrong. Normally Lily would have gone to one of her cousins, but Molly and Louis were busy studying with David Longbottom for their OWL's and all of her family were quite distraught with their cousin Dominique. At the thought of her cousin, Lily felt a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She wished that there was something more that she could do.

After her session with Lysander, Lily thanked him and gathered her books to head back to her Common Room. On her way back, she decided to stop by Headmistress McGonagall's office in hope that she would allow her to use her fireplace to call over to the Shell Cottage and see how Dominique was doing. Dominique had been allowed to go home after completing eight weeks of inpatient treatment with the commitment that she would complete her treatment as an outpatient.

Once she provided the password to the gargoyle it sprung to life and move out of the way of the staircase, allowing to climb up to the office. When she arrived at the top it was clear that McGonagall was not there, Lily turned to leave.

"Lily?" A voice said.

Lily spun around but could not see anyone else in the room. The voice said her name again. As she turned her head in the direction that it came from, she saw a line of portraits. Her dad had told her every Headmaster of Hogwarts had a portrait made of them that hung in the office. Lily instantly recognized the portrait of Dumbledore, who was currently dozing in a soft purple chair. It hadn't been Dumbledore that had called it, but the portrait next to him. Severus Snape.

"My apologies, you look just like someone that I… used to know. What is your name?"

"Lily Potter."

Lily wasn't aware how realistic the portraits emotions could be. The man with black hair looked heartbroken after she told him her name.

"I would be correct in assuming that you are a child of Harry Potter than." Lily nodded her head. "Are there more of you?"

Lily nodded her head once more, "I have two older brothers. James and Albus." She did not miss the subtle eye-roll that the portrait gave.

"Of course. Well, I hope you care more about your grades than your father did while he was in school."

Looking down at her shoes in embarrassment, Lily responded saying. "I try. But I'm not very good at potions."

The late headmaster then insisted that she show her him her assignment. He then spent the next half hour correcting it and pointing out where she had confused two different potions. As she left the office, Lily began to think that perhaps her dad was right. Maybe Severus Snape wasn't a bad person, just misunderstood.


	5. Year Four

Thank you to everyone who had read and/or reviewed this story. I really does mean a lot to me, and makes me what to write more because I know that people are enjoying it. This chapter took me a while to write, but I am happy to say that it is finally done! As I've said before, the story will begin to address more mature topics as the characters age. Not too much in this one, but there is some discuss of eating disorders in the first section. If this could be triggering, please skip ahead.

Enjoy!

**Year Four**

**Summer**

"So Dominique, you'll be going back to school in a few weeks. How are you feeling about that?"

Dominique began picking at her nails, a habit that she had picked up when they discussed her eating habits. "Nervous… scared…"

"What is it that you are feeling nervous and scared about?"

"Everyone has probably already found out about what happened. Everyone will be staring at me and whispering. I worry about getting bad again…. about trying to control my food to cope with the stress." Dominique had been stressed about the thought of returning to Hogwarts ever since it had been brought up at dinner last week. She had secretly hoped that he parents would make arrangements for her to complete her schooling at home.

"Your concerns are very valid, Dominique. Why don't we go over some of the coping techniques that you learned."

Dominique took a deep breath and recounted the coping skills that worked for her when she felt the need to throw up. "Count backwards from 100, talk to a friend or family member, keep my mind occupied with something routine like knitting."

"That's right. And if it does happen again than you and I will work together to help you through it, okay?"

Dominique nodded at her therapist. Over the past few months she had grown close to the woman. Dominique had been in a dark place for so many months, that it was a relief to be sitting in this room, healthy and relatively happy. Her family had been supportive of her recovery. Her siblings visited her while she was in the treatment centre every couple of days to play games and catch her up on what had been happening in the family, and her parent's visited every morning. Rose had taken to writing her letters when she wasn't able to visit, and Roxanne would make her favourite foods. Fred and James brought her all the new products and prototypes for the joke shop. Well, until one of them caught the room on fire. After that the two were banned from bringing anything else in. The rest of her cousins would take turns visiting so that she never had a day without seeing someone. Dominique appreciated the effort, because it made her feel like she had never left home.

She knew that it would be hard going back to school and having the public eye on her. But she knew that as long as she had her family by her side that she would be able to do it.

**Autumn**

_Dear Rose,_

_I can't believe that you are fourteen years old already! Over half way done with your education, and before you know it you will be off creating a life of your own. I hope you know that I am so very proud of you. I only wish that I could be there to see you as you grow into the lovely, strong, and intelligent woman that I imagine you becoming. I know that some days it will be hard, that some days you won't feel pretty or smart. But please know that you are, you will always be all of these wonderful qualities. Don't let anyone else make you think any differently._

_I know what it feels like to feel ugly. To feel like all the other girls are prettier than you, to be thought of as a last resort for a ball. I know how it feels to be teased for things that you didn't choose to have, like the texture of your hair or the shape of your teeth. I understand that feeling. But I also understand now, that all that teasing is a load of bollocks. Everyone is beautiful and unique in his or her own way._

_When I was your age, your dad and I attended something called a Yule Ball at Hogwarts, but not together. It was the first dance that Hogwarts had really had since I had been there, and although no one would think this, I was quite excited. No matter if you are a bookworm, a tomboy¸ or any other type of girl that society names you, every girl gets a little excited at the opportunity to dress up and feel pretty. I was no different. I had always been teased, both while in Muggle School and at Hogwarts. Everything from the state of my hair, to my desire to learn, to my blood status. There always seemed to be something to that others were able to find and point out in order to try and make me feel small._

_Over the years I grew thicker and thicker skin; I ignored the finger pointing, the whispers, and the sneers. I kept telling myself that it didn't matter what others thought of me, it only mattered what I thought of myself. I had developed a number of close friendships during my time at Hogwarts, but it still hurt to a degree to see how easy things like relationships and beauty came to them. I just never felt that I measured up in that area of my life. My mum always used to tell me that boys were slow. In the beginning they would only look at the girls that looked pretty on the outside, but that as I got older they would be able to see how beautiful I was on the inside and out. So when a well-known Quidditch player who was visiting Hogwarts at the time, asked to accompany me to the Yule Ball, I was ecstatic. I felt like I had finally reached a time when others would notice me as more than a brain._

_I had spent hours trying to tame my bushy hair, and gone through an entire bottle of sleek-easy hair product. I had bought a set of stunning periwinkle blue dress robes that made me feel that a princess when I twirled around. Viktor was a perfect gentleman, and I had a wonderful time. I felt attractive and happy and free._

_I have felt beautiful many times in my life, but there have also been times where I have felt truly ugly. It happened a few weeks after the Final Battle. All of our dead had been buried, most of those who were injured had been released from the care of St. Mungo's. Everyone was celebrating that is was finally over. We could relax and breathe again. By that time my nightmares were rampant. I dreamt of all of the horrible things that happened, or could have happened. The worst dream was the one that kept repeating itself. The one where I was alone, laying on the hard floor of Malfoy Manor because I didn't have the strength to get up. At this point in the dream I had been tortured for information with the cruciatus curse more times than I could remember. It still felt so real, even in the safety of my mind._

_By this point I usually woke myself up from screaming, but on this night I did not, and the dream carried on. I could suddenly feel Bellatrix carving that filthy word into my arm. Each slice of her cursed knife sending a white hot pain up my arm and into my chest. I felt like I was burning from the inside out. When I finally awoke and saw that hideous scar, I broke. I could no longer pretend that the event or the markings that it left behind didn't affect me. I scrubbed and scratched for hours but nothing would take that repulsive scar off of my arm. I felt so defeated, because I felt like I was forever more branded by it. That I was as ugly as that word._

_I later sought counselling, many of us who fought in the war did. It was so hard to go back to everyday life. A life where you didn't have to keep your children close or watch your back. This took some time to adjust to, but I got better, stronger. Now, when I'm having a bad day, I focus on remembering the good things that my scar stands for. That scar means that I fought for what I believed in, that I did everything possible to keep the people that I loved safe, that I survived._

_I know that one day you will grow up and understand some of the same things that I do today, the things that remain the same regardless of when you are born. Things like how many women will date and marry a man because she thinks that she can change him for the better. Out of these woman, some will stay in the relationship because they think that they are changing them. The other portion will leave when they realize that they can't. I want you to know that I have been both of these woman. In the entire time that we have known each other, I have been trying to make your dad into what I thought was a better person. Before we started dating, I thought that I was doing these things out of friendship. That I was trying to get him to study harder and be a better student, and to care more about things other than food and Quidditch because that was what friends did; they made you a better-rounded person._

_There will be people in your life who do not care about you. Not at all, not as much as you want them to, not as much as you care for them, not as much as they should, not as much as someone else. This will hurt, more than you even could have thought it would and I am so sorry that you have to go through that hurt. If there was any way that I could point these people out to you, give you clues as to what to watch out for and who to be weary of, I would. But know that the hurt will pass; that someone better will come along in your life and make you forget about everyone else from before. I know that reading this won't make it hurt any less, but one day it will._

_After the war, when we had started to date and soon after got engaged, I still did this. I tried to get your father involved in the community, in rebuilding the parts of our world that had been destroyed. When he became an Auror I continued to push him, thinking that he should want more for himself. I tried to get him to curb his temper and expand his emotional range and knowledge. But it never worked. That just wasn't Ron. He was quite happy with being the stubborn, Quidditch loving person that he was._

_It wasn't until a few years after you were born, and just before I got sick, that I realised that your dad and I wanted different things out of life. That he wasn't going to magically change into the person that I was trying to change him into; someone that wanted to travel the world, learn about other cultures, and challenge me. I want you to know that sometimes this happens, sometimes we fall in love with the idea of a person rather than the person themselves. I still love your dad, I'm just not in love with him any more. Having said that, I do believe that there is someone out there for us. Someone who is the exact person that we need. Someone who will love us, treat us right, and challenge us. I want you to know, that even in the short time that I had left, I think I found him._

_Remember that the things that make you beautiful are not always the things that people can see right away; your passion, your intelligence, and your heart. But these are the very things that matter most and that will lead you to the right person at the right time. It will happen, I promise._

_Love always,_

_Mom_

Rose finished reading her mother's letter and had taken off the locket that she had given her to play with it. It was a habit that she had started after she had gotten it for her fourteen birthday. Something about the cool golden oval slowing heating up as she passed it back and forth between her hands calmed her.

"Hey, Rose!" A cheerful voice said bringing her out of her thoughts. "Mind if I join you? What do you have there?"

Rose internally groaned. How long was it going to take before he realised that she had no intentions of becoming his friend? She ignored his questions and hastily folded up her mother's letter away from his prying eyes. The nerve of him to try and read her personal letter! Sending a glare his way, Rose snatched the letter off of her table and march out of the library, leaving a confused and crestfallen Scorpius behind.

Later that day, Rose was racing around the castle to every single place that she had been earlier that day. She could not believe that she was stupid enough to lose her mother's locket! She had already been through the Great Hall, through all of her usual corridors, her afternoon classes, and the library. Still, there was no locket to be found. She was nearly in tears when she realised that she had taken a walk by the Black Lake during her lunch break.

With a new-found hope, Rose raced toward the lake and hastily began retracing her steps. She hadn't managed to get very far when she heard someone calling her name. She looked up to see Scorpius Malfoy jogging towards her. She was about to tell him off when she saw that the locket that she had been looking for was swinging from his clenched fist. With her Weasley temper to guide her, Rose charged toward the blond and nearly knocked him flat on his back.

"You stole my locket! How dare you! That was my mother's!" Rose continued to swing her arms at Scorpius. She probably would have been able to get in a good shot or two if she hadn't been so consumed with anger.

Scorpius did his best to dodge her attacks, "Are you batty?! I found your locket and came down here to return it to you!"

Rose stopped her advances. Her face was screwed up into an ugly look, her face was red and her chest was heaving. "Give it back!"

Scared of what she might do if he hesitated, Scorpius nearly threw the necklace to her. Rose caught it and held it to her chest. It was quite apparent that she was feeling a deep sense of relief. Her emotions were in a whirlwind, and she blames not being able to control them for the few tears that are able to escape from her eyes.

Scorpius realised that the necklace must be extraordinarily important to her for her to react in such a manner. "I didn't steal it Rose, honest. I found it in the library."

"Why should I believe a single thing that comes out of your mouth?"

Scorpius brought his hands up in confusion. "We've known each other for four years, Rose. Have I ever once give you a reason for you not to?"

Rose refused to answer him, and simply continued to stare at him with a hard judgemental look, ready for him to do or say something horrible.

It didn't take long for Scorpius to realised the reasoning behind her apprehension. Once that was understood, he let out a scoff of disbelief. "Of course. You don't trust me because I'm a _Malfoy_. Because our families didn't get along when they were in school. Because my family made some questionable decisions in the past."

"Questionable decisions? They were horrible people who did horrible things! Things that got your grandfather sent to Azkaban! They stood by and watched my mother be tortured when she was just a girl and did nothing! You have no idea what that did to her!"

Scorpius Malfoy prided himself on his calm demeanour and his ability to remain calm in high stress situations. But when it came to Rose Weasley, with her big mouth and judgemental eyes, his calmness was thrown out the window.

"You think I don't know that! You think I don't know about all the terrible things that have taken place in that house! That I don't know the groups that my family once belonged to, or the things that they did? I know everything that they did, because people like you will never let me forget what I came from! Because people like you will never expect anything better of me!"

He doesn't care that she looks a bit scared from his sudden outburst of rage. Everything that he said was true. It was everything that he had been burying inside himself for the past seven years, since he was old enough to know why he had trouble making friends. He had to word ten times as hard to get basic niceties as everyone else. It wasn't fair and he was tired of keeping quiet about it.

"It makes me sick when I think about everything that happened. But I am not who they were."

Rose would like to say that she said something quick to say back to him in return. Some scathing remark, or some example of the horrible person that he was. But she didn't. Scorpius Malfoy left her speechless.

Every October 31st, while all of the other students were enjoying the Halloween feast, Fred Weasley || scoured the halls for ghosts. He had been told during his fourth year by Sir Nicholas that on Halloween, all of the ghosts in the castle came together to celebrate the anniversary of their death. It wasn't that he was looking to gate crash their party. He just wanted to take a look at who was attending.

During all of his time at Hogwarts, Fred has always been on the lookout for his namesake when a ghost flew by. His family had all told him that his late uncle had not become a ghost after his passing, but he was desperate to prove him wrong. It is written that someone only takes on the form of a ghost when they die if they are afraid of death or have an extraordinarily strong connection to the location that they died in. Fred just couldn't believe that his late uncle would leave his twin like that. He was sure that he would stick around to bring some closure to his father.

Fred drew closer and closer to the room where the ghosts were having their party. The smell of rotten food was almost overpowering, and it took everything in him not to gag at the stench. Fred cautiously peeked around the wall and took a look at every ghost in the room. At the back of the room by what appeared to be a punch bowl were Sir Nicholas, and the gloomy nuns. The Bloody baron was swinging his sword around to impress Helena Ravenclaw, though she looked rather bored herself. Moaning Myrtle was wandering around the room with a solemn look on her face while the Fat Friar stood around the food table. It looked like he was trying to waft the smell of the rotten food closer to himself.

He looked over every ghost in the room, but was not able to find the ghost of Fred Weasley. Disappointed, Fred II turned to leave and make the walk back to the his dormitory.

"Mr. Weasley!"

Fred turned to see Sir. Nicholas floating after him. "Sir Nicholas! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on your party. I was just…"

"looking for someone?"

"How did you know?"

"My dear boy, you are not the first student who has come about here looking for the ghost of a family member. We lost a great number of witches and wizards on these grounds during the war. And we have gained a ghost or two from it. Like Mr. Colin Creevey over there."

Fred looked in the direction that Sir Nicholas was pointing to see the ghost of a boy about his age with a camera around his face. He was going around taking pictures of the party guests.

He could feel himself begin to get upset, but tried to hold himself together. "I just don't understand why he's not here. How could he leave dad like that?"

"Becoming a ghost is a tricky decision, Mr. Weasley. On one hand, you are able to continue to see your family and your friends. You have the chance to live forever, in a sense. But that it also it's curse. Once one chooses to become a ghost, they can never move on to the afterlife. You dad will see his twin again someday. Do try not to dwell on the things that you have no control over." With a wave, Sir Nicholas left young Fred to his thoughts.

**Winter**

"Dad!" Rose called as she ran down the stairs. "Dad! Can you take me into muggle London? I need to get a christmas present for...a… a friend. Please!"

Ron put down that morning's copy of the daily prophet and started waving his arms in front of himself. "Oh no. Not a chance. Last time I took you into London during the Christmas holidays to go shopping I nearly lost a hand. Those muggles are too crazy around this time of year. If you want to go you'll have to get Uncle Harry to take you."

Rose rolled her eyes at her dad. He was so dramatic, he would have only lost a finger or two if he had have been caught in that door. Not a whole _arm._ None the less she walked over to their fireplace and called over to her Uncle Harry's. He was happy to take her into town and said that he would be by to pick her up after lunch.

When Harry arrived to pick Rose up, he was alone. "The boys refused to leave their quidditch game, and Lily is helping Aunt Ginny decorate the house. So it looks like it's just the two of us Rosie!"

Rose smile and accepted the arm that her uncle offered her. Her Uncle Harry was the only one that was allowed to call her Rosie. Even her dad had tried once, but that only lead to Rose giving him the silent treatment for a few days. Rose liked hanging around with her uncle Harry. He was her mom's best friend, and Rose felt like she could ask him things about her mom that she couldn't ask her dad.

As expected, the mall was packed with people doing last minute Christmas shopping. Rose made sure to keep a tight hold of her uncles arm as they fought through the crowd. Once they got into the bookshop that Rose had been heading for the crowd had cleared. It was still busy, but at least the pair now had room to move around and breathe. As they browsed the books, Harry laughed and made a comment that Hermione had always dragged him into a bookshop when they went shopping too, which made Rose smile.

"So, who are you buying a book for? You're always one of the first ones to have her Christmas shopping finished."

"It's more of an apology gift than a christmas one. I need to make things right with someone."

Harry gently prodded a bit more. "What is it that you're apologizing for?"

Rose paused in her search along the shelves. "I judged someone and treated them unfairly based on who their family was." Rose looked down at her shoes as she continued. "And he didn't deserve how I treated him. He's actually a nice person."

Harry nodded knowingly, "This wouldn't happen to me blonde Gryffindor about this tall would it?"

Rose gasped. "How on earth do you know!?"

"Albus isn't nearly as sneaky and clever as he thinks he is." Harry said with a chuckle.

"Please don't tell dad. He'll go nuts if he finds out that I'm even talking to him."

Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pressed a quick kiss to the side of her head, "Don't you worry, Rosie. You're secret is safe with me. And for what it's worth, I think Scorpius is a nice kid too."

Rose smiled up at her uncle, she knew that there was a reason that she let him call her Rosie.

Each winter, the parents of the Weasley-Potter clan would take turns creating a skating pond with the children to skate on during their winter break. This year it was at Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's. Rose was racing around her house looking for her skates. She was sure that she had put them in her closet last year, but for some reason they weren't there. After she was sure that she had turned the entire house apart, her dad came home with three sets of skate slung over his shoulder. At seeing this, Rose let out a groan of frustration and began tossing the shoes that she was rifling through back in the closet.

"Wha?"

Rose shook her head and smile. "Nothing, dad. Thanks for getting my skates sharpened. Hugo! Come on, we're going to be late!"

A few minutes later Hugo was bounding down the stairs and putting the hat and scarf that Grandma Weasley had knitted him last year on as he went. Hugo absolutely loved going ice skating with his family. There was always a running bet about how long it would take his sister to fall down on the ice. Rose was brilliant, but she wasn't the most graceful. Hugo had put a galleon in that it would be within the first ten minutes.

By the time they got to Uncle Bill's, most of the rest of the clan were already there. Their family was so large, that every time they got together it was felt like a large party. Rose raced ahead of her family to go and throw her arms around dominique. Her cousin laughed at her silliness and hugged her in return. Rose loved her cousin and was happy that she was finally getting the help that she had needed. She had been doing so well that year at school. The entire family had taken turns spending time with her or walking her to class to make sure that no one gave her and trouble or asked too many intimate questions.

Louise came up behind Rose and pulled her hat down over her eyes before tickling her sides, which led to a quick snowball fight. Unfortunately it was the battle was quickly called off when Rose's poor aim nearly knocked over the vat of hot chocolate that Grandma Weasley was stirring.

After catching her breath, Rose looked around for a spot to sit down and put her skates on. On the other side of the frozen pond sat Albus and Scorpius. She had hoped that her cousin would invite his friend. Before heading in their direction, Rose looked over her shoulder to find that he dad was occupied with the adults. Perfect. Rose took a deep breath and marched over to where the two boys were sitting. As she drew closer she pulled the wrapped book out of her bag. The boys stopped their chatter once she stood in front of them.

Rose held out the gift. "Happy Christmas, Scorpius."

Scorpius peered up at her and took the gift from her outstretched hand. He was unsure of how he was supposed to respond, they hadn't really conversed since their fight by the Black Lake before school was dismissed for the holiday.

"Thank you." Once the words left his mouth, Rose turned on her heel and left to sit on a log and put her skates on.

Albus made a comment about how weird her cousin was and stood from his spot before telling Scopirus to hurry up and meet him on the ice. Scorpius looked down at the package in his hands. It was neatly wrapped in red paper with a gold ribbon and bow tied around it. Carefully, he pulled the wrapping off to reveal a book. _How To Kill A Mockingbird._ He had never heard of the book before. When he opened the cover she saw a message in neatly looped writing.

_Don't be fooled by the title. _

_-R_

Scorpius smiled to himself. Perhaps they would be able to become friends after all. After carefully placing the book in his bag her finished lacing his skates and headed towards the pond. He quickly joined Albus who had skated over and waited by the edge for him. Luckily for Scorpius, skating was second nature. It was kind of like flying for him. And it helped that every year his grandparents froze the pond at The Manor to make an ice rink. He had been skating for almost as long as he had been flying.

Ahead of him, he saw Rose skating in front of them. Her legs were shaking and her arms were out stretched by her sides to try and keep her balance. She looked like a baby deer trying to walk across a slab of ice. As he expected, she soon lost her balance and fell down on her backside. Her younger brother Hugo quickly skated over towards them, though it wasn't to help his sister.

"Pay up, Al. You owe me a galleon."

Albus dug into his pockets and shook his head. "How can she still be _so bad_ at this. We've been skating for years!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes at his friend and skated ahead to where Rose had fallen. He offered her both of his hands with a smile. She hesitated for a moment, but soon smiled back at him in embarrassment and accepted his help. Together they were able to get her standing again without falling.

"I don't know why I'm so bad at this." She mumbled.

"It's not easy for everyone one. Here hold onto my hands."

Standing in front of her, Scorpius began to slowly skate backwards allowing Rose to use him for balance as she skated forward to keep up. They did a couple loops of that and once she felt more comfortable he let one hand go. That went well for a few minutes until Rose got a little too comfortable and began to skate faster. Her balance was quickly lost, and in a valiant effort to stop her from falling, Scorpius ended up falling with her.

**Spring**

"Mr. Potter, not your best work. Stay after class please."

Albus looked down at his paper and groaned. _Poor_. If his parent's hear about this is was for sure going to be getting a howler at breakfast in the morning. He couldn't help it that he didn't do well in his History of Magic. It was just so boring that he couldn't stay awake long enough to finish his assignments much less pay attention to his professor. Once the class left, Albus shoved his paper into his bag and went to stand in front of Professor. Binn's desk.

"You wanted to see me professor?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter. I wanted to speak to you about how you are progressing in my class. Or rather, your lack of progressing. I find it difficult to understand how you can do so poorly in my class when most of the topics that we are discussing revolve around your family and your namesakes. I would expect that someone with your background would be excelling."

Albus worked hard to bit his tongue and not tell his professor where to stick his wand. He was so tired of peoples expectations of his just because of who his parent's were, or because of his name. "Is that all, Professor?"

"One more assignment with a grade like this and I will have no choice but to inform your is all."

Wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible, Albus nearly ran into the hall. Once these he pulled his essay from his bag and proceeded to crumple it and rip it apart. He just hoped this his parent's would be too focused on how many OWL's James got to care about his report card.

Things between Rose and Scorpius had become tentatively friendly. Rose was still hesitant about their newly growing friendship. But Scorpius went on treating her as he always had, like a friend. At least now she was able to sit with him and Albus while they were studying without feeling guilty. And when Slytherin had a game that wasn't against Gryffindor her and Scorpius would sit in the stands together and cheer Albus on. They were not best friends, by any means, but they were pleasant to each other and trying.

As they are cheering for Slytherin in the stands, Rose begins to see sides of Scorpius that she had previously ignored. He was kind to all of her family, even the youngest of her cousins. Lily, who was the youngest and smallest of them all, was having her view of her brother blocked by a fifth year Gryffindor. Without a hesitation, Scorpius had Lily climb on his back and wrap her arms around his shoulders so that she was taller than all of them. Seeing this, Rose suddenly felt sorry that he didn't have any siblings. He would have been a wonderful brother to have.

Rose was beginning to see that perhaps her mother had been write. That truly knowing who a person was on the inside only came with time and being with them. That sometimes people that you thought were bad, ended up just being misunderstood and unfairly judged. And other times, the people that you trust, the ones that you think will be a part of your life forever, aren't. But there were also people who were just as they had always seemed. She was beginning to understand that there was no way to tell which one of these a person would be. That sometimes you would get hurt, and sometimes you would be surprised.

**Summer**

Rose sat back in her chair and curled her legs up into her chest. Autumn was coming early this year, leaving the last week before school began to be a cool one. She was over at Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's house for a sleepover; something that was often done amongst the cousins. After sharing the delicious lasagne that Uncle Harry made, the children decided to build a fire out in the back yard.

The fire was crackling softly and beginning to let off some warmth as Albus and Scorpius came back from gathering some wood to keep the fire going. James had Dave help him carry out more chairs from the garage and plant them around the fire. Lily plopped down beside her, causing rose to send a kind smile towards her young cousin and passed her one of the mugs of hot chocolate that her and Kathryn had made. Lily was the youngest of all of them, and Rose knew that she had a tough first year.

"Albus where does your mom keep the marshmallows?"

"Don't call me Albus any more. Just call me Al." Rose gave him an odd look. "What? You would go by Al too if your parent's named you Albus Severus."

"You're parent's named you after people that were important to them."

"Right, one of the greatest wizards of all time, and the two faced professor who had a crush on my grandmother. Charming."

Jame's spoke up, "You don't get it Rose, it's hard being born into the shadow of someone. It's like they expect you to be just like your namesake."

"You know," Kathryn said as she stared into the fire, "that's why dad didn't name us after his parent's. Everyone expected that he would, but he knew what it was like to always be compared to someone and have expectations to live up to. He didn't want that for us."

Scorpius leaned forward to stoke the fire, "It sucks when all a person see's when they look at you is your name. That's why I never tell people my last name if I can avoid it. It brings up too many memories, and stories, and prejudices for the things that my family did all those years ago. Once they find out that I'm a Malfoy they don't trust me, they automatically think I'm this terrible person."

Rose could feel his eyes on her as he finished his statement. It took everything in her not to look up at him, because she knew that she was one of those people. Instead she found her hand coming up to wrap itself around the oval locket that her mother had given her for her birthday a few weeks ago. It had been passed down through her mother's family and had now been given to rose. Her mother had charmed it before she died to include the original muggle photos, as well as wizarding one. Each time Rose opened the locket, the photographs of her family (near and distant) would come alive before her eyes. It was a reminder to her. Family came first.

"I always found it really creepy." Lilly said quietly. "Seeing my name on war memorials and graveyards. It makes me feel like a ghost."

James leaned over and wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders, "Me too, Kiddo. Me too."

Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


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